Flowers for the Sparrow
by Jillvalentine44
Summary: When everything in Violet Amourdoux's life goes wrong, she thinks life is hopeless... until she meets a certain pirate captain who takes pity on her and lets her join the crew. They go on a journey to find things that will lead them to... SUMMARY INSIDE
1. Unluckiness and Unlikely Luck

SUMMARY: When everything in Violet Amourdoux's life goes wrong, she thinks life is hopeless... until she meets a certain pirate captain who takes pity on her and lets her join the crew. They go on a journey to find gems that will lead them to the fabled lost treasure of Charlemagne, but run into many unexpected challenges like ghosts, dragons, sea monsters, ancient curses, zombies, and more otherworldly surprises.

Yay! New story! All new characters (in other words, not affiliated with the JackCeleste series), and all new fun! I really like this new character chick and hope that everyone likes the story. Please review!

Thanks to DAFTLIKESPARROW for being a great friend who continues to inspire me everytime she speaks. Thanks, I love you! Thanks also to all my friends who put up with me on a daily basis even when they dont have to. (READ DAFTLIKSPARROW 'S FANFICTION! IT ROCKS!)

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Disney or anything related to "Pirates of the Caribbean." As much as I wish I am, I am not. So don't sue me!

"Er, no, Charlotte, I think it would be better if we put Bardeaux's here." Violet said, holding a painting of a landscape up to an empty space on the wall. Violet was a shy, pretty girl with long, hip-length, straight, maple-brown hair and big, gray, innocent eyes. She had a slim figure, hips the right size, slim waist, her bust wasn't so large, but what did she care? She was dressed in a light blue dress of mediocre value (goodness knows she wasn't rich). She was the head of an art gallery and never usually had any trouble keeping control -- her only problem was being loud enough for people to hear her among noise.

"You see?" Violet asked. "It goes well next to this one." she gestured to a painting of a beautiful woman. The painting wasn't old at all. Bardeaux had painted it at the turn of the 1700's, not _so_ long ago. "Bardeaux makes an allusion to a woman in his picture here. See how there's a face in it? The birds represent the eyelashes and the flowers are the mouth. The nose is that shrub there."

Charlotte looked increasingly annoyed. "It doesn't _go_ here, Violet."

"But... I think it will work best--"

"You originally said it would go with nature." Charlotte argued.

"Well, yes, but looking at it now, I realize it's a much better idea if we put it here." Violet told her sweetly.

"It will look _bad_ there!"

"Er, Charlotte, I _am_ the art director of this gallery, and--"

"And what do you do?!" Charlotte exclaimed angrily. "You tell us 'yes, that's pretty' or 'no, that's trash.'"

"I never say another person's art is trash--" she began nicely, but Charlotte cut her off.

"You don't deserve to be the director here, Violet!" Charlotte cried. "_I_ do much more than you!"

"But it's my job to oversee--"

"That's it! That's enough! I'm a much better artist than you, and I think I should be the art director!"

"You are very skilled, Charlotte, but running this gallery is my job and I--"

"Look, this is the last straw." Charlotte stated. "I've convinced Mr. Lux," (the man who owned the gallery) "that you are not the best girl for the job. I think I'll fully convince him later today."

"Wh-what...?" Violet stuttered.

"It's over, Violet, I'm making sure of that." Charlotte said.

"But -- but--"

Just then, Mr. Lux walked in.

"Oh! Mr. Lux!" Charlotte cried, running to him. "I _must_ talk to you!" they went into his office and Violet stood in shock. She sat down and mulled over the situation. She picked up a piece of charcoal and idly drew a picture.

After about a half an hour, Violet had finished her drawing. It was of a jewelry box that had seashells and sapphire gems decorating the top and sides. She folded it up and stuffed it in her purse. Just then, Mr. Lux and Charlotte emerged from the office.

"Violet, please listen to Charlotte, she has to tell you something..." he told her. Violet nodded and he walked out.

"Violet," Charlotte began smugly, "Mr. Lux agrees with me -- you are not good enough to do this job. We're letting you go."

"What?" Violet gasped, heartbroken. "But -- but this is all I have. This is the only art gallery in town! I live for art -- what will I do?"

"Not our problem." Charlotte sneered. "Mr. Lux saw the truth. Have a nice life." And she walked off.

Violet, on the edge of tears, picked up a box nearby and packed all her stuff in it. She walked home and entered her house. Her landlord was there.

"Oh, good day, Mr. Rich." she said cheerfully, putting the box down.

"Good day, Violet." he greeted. "Erm, I have some rather... distressing news..."

"Oh?" Violet asked politely, but wearily.

"Yes, I'm afraid we're going to have to... evict you... You didn't pay your rent. And... we're going to take everything. You can take your personal belongings..." Rich said hesitantly. Violet's heart sunk. "Could you be out... well... tonight?"

"Er, er, of course..." Violet stuttered politely.

"I'm so sorry..." he said, and left the house.

Violet slumped down on a chair. 'What am I going to do?' she thought, tears forming in her eyes. 'Charlotte was one of my only friends... Rory is out of town... What am I going to do?' She started crying.

After a few moments, she sniffled and wiped the tears from her face. She stood up and got two suitcases from her room. She filled them with her clothes belongings and readied herself to leave. She pulled her paintings off of any frames and easels she had sitting around, and packed all of her art supplies.

'Where am I going to stay?' she thought. She sighed and decided to go down to the beach and watch the ocean. She made her way to the beach and looked around. There was a little cove she used to play in when she was little around here somewhere. She walked along the beach all the way to the cliff. She then remembered the cove she used to visit when she was a child. 'The cove... I could stay there...' She edged her way along the narrow path between the water and the cliff until she came to the cove. She sat down and buried her head in her knees and started crying.

Captain Jack Sparrow was running from the guards of the city. Alright, so he'd stolen the governor's prize gem: the Emerald of the Sea worth more than twice Jack's weight in gold. He finally ran into a large cluster of trees that covered the entire area he was in.

"Alrigh'..." he mumbled to himself, "where are you goin', Jack?" He glanced back to see if anyone was coming. Suddenly, he looked forward and was right on the edge of a cliff. His eyes widened as he tried to keep his balance, but to no avail. He plummeted off the cliff and into the water below. He resurfaced and looked around frantically. He quickly spotted a hidden cove and took refuge in it. He shook the water off him and made sure he had the gem (he'd wrapped it up in a cloth and tied it tight).

"Erm, excuse me." someone said from behind him. He wheeled around and laid eyes on Violet. "Er, who are you?"

"Me?" Jack asked. "Er, the name's Smith."

"Are you alright, Mr. Smith?" she asked. "You just sort of... fell off that cliff."

"Oh, yeah, I'm alrigh'." he replied, out of breath. He sat down next to her and she nervously shifted away from him. "I'm made of steel."

She laughed a little and introduced herself. "Erm, I'm Violet. Violet Amourdoux."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Violet Amourdoux." he said. "Beautiful name."

She blushed. "Erm, might I ask why you fell off that cliff?" He noticed that she had a very sweet voice -- very shy and quiet and polite.

"Oh, I'd rather not say." he replied casually.

"Oh, that's fine." she told him. "I'm sorry..."

He looked at her. "For what, love?"

"I-I asked... it wasn't my business..." she stuttered and looked away from him (she was blushing from being called "love").

"Ah, don' be sorry for somethin' like that." he told her. "Pull out a knife and stab me in the arm -- _that_ I would expect you to be sorry for." She laughed quietly. "So what're you doin' 'ere in this cove, darling?"

"Erm, well, I sort of..." she sighed. "Today hasn't been the best day... It's a long story."

"I got the time -- let's 'ave it." he said.

She explained what had happened that day: about the loss of her job and her house and a friend (or who she _thought_ was a friend).

"So you got no place to go?" he asked.

"No." she replied.

"What're you goin' to do?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea..."

He thought for a moment. "Can you swordfight?"

"Er, er, no. No, I can't..." she replied, a bit taken off guard from this sudden question.

"Hmm..." he mumbled, thinking. He glanced at her. "Can you shoot?"

"Erm, no..."

"Can you cook?" he asked.

She shook her head. She knew what was coming. She'd been through it before. She was used to what _everyone_ said when they asked what she could do. He was going to say "well, what _can_ you do?" She knew he was going to say it. Everyone did.

He shrugged. "Well, no worries." She glanced up at him, surprised at his answer. "You know what? I've got a ship an' you're welcome to join me on it." He didn't know what it was about this girl, but he knew he was acting different than usual. This girl made him more gentle for some reason. Had it been almost any other woman, he probably would've tried to get lucky, but that wasn't his goal with Violet. For some reason, he didn't like seeing her pain -- even though he hardly knew her. "You got nowhere else to go, right?"

"R-right, but... but what would I do?" she asked. If it had been anyone else, she would've declined immediately, but... this man... had trust in his eyes. She felt she could trust him -- something that didn't happen often at all.

"Well, what would you _like _to do?"

Her eyes began to water and she looked out at the ocean. She sniffled and started to cry. Jack panicked.

"Wh-wha's wrong, sweetheart?" he asked, moving closer to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, in attempt to comfort her, and she flinched and moved away from him. He recovered his hand and looked at her with concern.

She sniffled. "I'm sorry -- It's not polite for me to cry like this, but... You... asked what I'd _like_ to do..." she sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks, "no one's ever asked me that before... But... still... there's nothing I can do to help you. I'd only be a burden."

"Oh, nonsense, darling." he dismissed. "What is it that you like to do?"

"Well, all I know is art..." she replied, sniffling. "That's why I worked at the gallery. But... my art can't help you..."

"Well, I don' know." Jack told her. "I like art. I'm the captain of the ship, you know. I'll make you a deal. You paint me somethin' an' you can stay on my ship, savvy?"

"Oh, you're just saying that -- I couldn't possibly intrude--"

"It's no intrusion, love." he told her. "Besides, you're beautiful -- it'd be nice to 'ave someone like you around the ship."

She blushed: her face turned blood red and she uncomfortably glanced away from him, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. She gulped nervously. "Erm, er, thank you, I, er, erm..."

He decided to change the subject, as it was apparently not the best one to speak on. "Look, darling, I'm afraid I 'aven' been very honest with you..." She looked at him. "My name's not Smith -- it's Sparrow." her eyes widened. "Please don' yell or anythin', my intentions are... almost noble." he rushed. "Anyway, yes, Sparrow, like Captain Jack Sparrow, famous pirate, but I'm not as bad as tales say, now, am I?"

She stared at him. "_You're_ Captain Jack Sparrow?" she asked, wide-eyed. He nodded. She smiled in awe. "Oh, I've read all about you! Oh, It's an honor, Mr. Sparrow!"

She didn't scream -- wow. That didn't happen often.

"Er, you can call me Jack." he told her. She smiled awkwardly. "So, what do you say? You want to come with me? What do you 'ave to lose?"

She thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose... I suppose I do need a place to live..." She looked up at him. "I promise I'll be as much help to you as I can. Thank you very much for letting me come with you."

"O' course, darling, don' mention it." He peeked out at the docks. No guards -- he was lucky. "Alrigh', will you do me a favor?" She nodded. "Stay 'ere an' 'old this for me..." he handed her the wrapped up gem, "while I go an' commandeer one of those row boats, savvy?"

"Mm hm." she nodded.

"Alrigh', I'll be back for you in a moment." he crept out of the cove and over to the docks.

He untied one of the boats from the dock and got in it. He picked up the oars and started rowing back towards Violet. He rowed up next to her.

"Simple." he said. "Come on."

She handed him the gem (of which she didn't know what it was, as she didn't peek at it), and her suitcases and he set them behind him.

"Er, how do I get into this, anyway?" she asked, not wanting to overturn it.

"Well, come 'ere, I'll grab you by the waist and pull you in. You're goin' to 'ave to lean on me, though." he said, holding out his hands to her. She panicked and glanced around nervously. "It's okay, love, I'm not goin' to 'urt you." He was telling the truth; she could tell. But still, she hesitated. "Me arms are goin' to fall off if I keep 'em like this all day, sweetheart." he said jokingly, with a smile.

She smiled awkwardly and decided to trust him. She leaned over and grabbed onto his shoulders and he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to him. She sat down in the boat, moving away from Jack.

"You alrigh'?" he asked and she nodded. Just then, a big black ship sailed from around the side of the cliff. "Oh, an' there's me ship. The Black Pearl."

"Oh, yes, I've read about it!" she said eagerly (her moods sure change fast). "The fastest ship in the Caribbean, right?"

"The very fastest." Jack confirmed proudly.

Suddenly, a large group of guards gathered on the beach and yelled at Jack (they were about 20 feet offshore).

"SPARROW! IF YOU DO NOT HALT RIGHT THIS MOMENT, WE WILL BE FORCED TO OPEN FIRE!"

"Oh, no..." Jack mumbled. "Darling, will you do me a really big favor?"

"Erm, sure." she agreed. "What is it?"

"Jus'... turn around." he said. "An' don' get mad at me..." She furrowed her brow in worry, but turned around nonetheless. He pulled out his pistol and held it to her head. "I'm really sorry about this an' I promise not to 'urt you." He looked out at the guards. "WELL, LOOKS LIKE I GOT ME A HOSTAGE! YOU SHOOT ME, YOU SHOOT 'ER!" The guards exchanged glances. "NOW, YOU TURN AROUND AN' MARCH BACK INTO THE CITY, AN' SHE WON' GET 'URT." He lowered his voice and spoke to Violet. "'elp me out 'ere, love -- scream for effect."

"Er... er... DON'T LET HIM SHOOT ME! PLEASE!!" she screamed (though her scream was not very loud as she was such a quiet girl).

"Nice, darling." he said with a smile. "SO WHAT'S IT GOIN' TO BE?!"

The guards glanced at each other and nodded. They turned and walked back into the city. After Jack was sure they were far away, he put his pistol away and started to row to the ship. Violet turned back around.

"Sorry about that, love." he apologized.

"It's alright." she said sweetly.

Now, what for conversation...? Violet pushed her hair back and Jack noticed how long it was.

"You 'ave gorgeous hair, darling, 'ow long did it take to get it like that?" he asked.

"Oh, er, erm, thank you..." she said, blushing profusely. "Er, it took about twenty years. ...Well, my whole life... considering... I'm twenty..." He chuckled. "I'm sorry... I tend to say stupid things... usually..."

"Oh, sweetheart, I wasn' laughin' at you -- what you said was cute." he told her.

"Oh..." She uncomfortably glanced away from him.

Most of the trip over to the ship was spent in silence. When they finally arrived, the crew threw a rope down. Jack threw the gem up on deck, along with Violet's luggage.

"They're goin' to pull you up, alrigh'?" he asked. "Jus' grab onto the rope an 'old on tight." She nodded and grabbed onto the rope. They started to pull her up, but it just slid through her hands.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed. "Ohh, I'm sorry, I'm not very strong..."

"It's alrigh'." he said patiently. "Jus' 'old onto me, savvy?" She nodded. "Put your arms around me neck." She hesitantly obeyed, and he grabbed onto the rope with both hands. "'ang on tight, sweetheart."

"Mm hm." she nodded and they pulled them up onto the ship.

After they sort of situated themselves, Gibbs asked Jack about Violet.

"Oh, this is Miss Violet Amourdoux." Jack told him. "I'll explain later. Oh, by the way, 'ere's what we were 'ere for." He handed the gem to Gibbs and turned to Violet. "Come on, love, I'll show you to your room."

He picked up her suitcases and headed downstairs. Violet looked at Gibbs and smiled pleasantly, and followed Jack.

They went downstairs and down a hall to a room that was next to the one at the very end on the right side. Jack set her luggage down and she stepped inside.

"Well, let's see... there's not much you need to know -- we lead pretty simple lives." he said. "Er, tha's my room in case you need anythin'," he gestured to the room at the very end of the hall (the room next to hers), she nodded, "I'll show you around the ship later an' explain everythin'. Once you finish unpackin', come up on deck an' find me -- I'll be at the helm."

She nodded. He smiled and left the room. He made to close the door behind him, but...

"Jack." she said. He looked back at her. "...Erm, thank you very much for letting me stay here. I really don't know what I would've done if you hadn't come along."

"Anytime, sweetheart." he replied. "Glad to 'elp." He left and she began unpacking.

What was it about her? He was never this patient or... this decent, really, to almost anyone. The poor girl was so shy and rejected, he couldn't just not help her. Violet Amourdoux: the name that would change Captain Jack Sparrow forever.

Yay for a new story! Hope you enjoyed it! The plot will surface in the next chapter and more fun will come. A lot of action will be added later, which will be fun. Yay! PLEASE REVIEW!!


	2. The Legend and the Truth

Thanks to DAFTLIKESPARROW for being awesome! Love you! Also thanks to Es for reviewing! In answer to your question, Es, I shall explain it all in this chapter! I hope it makes sense, because it makes sense to me… but then again, what works in my head doesn't always work outside of it! Thanks for the comment -- it means a lot and helps me out! Hope I don't let you down!

CHAPTER 2: The Legend and the Truth

Jack went up on deck and joined Gibbs, who was talking to Anamaria at the helm.

"So what's the story on this girl?" Gibbs asked Jack.

"Well, the poor thing lost 'er job an' got kicked out of 'er house an' 'as 'ardly any money at all…" Jack explained. "I couldn't just leave 'er there."

"Well, is she going to pull her weight, or what?" Anamaria asked. "I mean, if she's just here to 'swab your deck,' then I don't want anything to do with her."

"No, no, nothin' like that." Jack corrected. "Truth is, she can't do much at all. She can't fight or shoot or cook, and she isn' very strong at all…"

"So what did she do before?" Gibbs asked.

"She worked at an art gallery." Jack told them. "She's an artist."

"What use do we have for an artist on this ship?!" Anamaria exclaimed.

"Well, it couldn' 'urt." Jack said. "Besides, if you 'ad been in my position, you would've done the same thing. Poor girl…" He decided to change the subject. "So, did you get a look at that emerald, Gibbs? Pretty nice, eh?"

"Aye." Gibbs replied. "We could just sell it, rather than using it on this legend."

"I 'ave faith in the legend, Gibbs." Jack told him. "Don' lose 'ope yet."

Just then, Violet had finished her unpacking and joined Jack at the helm.

"Oh, 'ey, love." Jack greeted. "Let me introduce you to some of me crew. This is Gibbs and Anamaria."

"Nice to meet you." Violet greeted politely.

"Nice to meet you, too." Gibbs replied.

"Likewise." Anamaria said indifferently.

"Oh, yeah, I'll give you a tour o' the ship, savvy?" Jack said to Violet. She nodded and they went below deck. Jack pointed out things and places on the ship and she listened intently. Eventually, dinnertime came.

"So," he said, as they sat down in the dining room to eat, "what about this art gallery you worked at? Don' see many o' those."

"No, it's one of the first here in the Caribbean." Violet told him. "You've seen at least one in England, right?" Jack nodded. "Yes, they aren't very common yet, but I'm sure they'll catch on." She explained that she thought it was a good idea to put a gallery together of local artists. Mr. Lux had bought the gallery because he's rich and buys basically everything in town anyway.

They talked about a lot of things, just casual normal life stuff, but it was the most Violet had talked to him before. He still didn't find out much about her. She tended to change the subject whenever the conversation drifted to her past. Jack had been drinking rum and Violet kept eyeing the mug he was drinking out of suspiciously. Eventually, Jack noticed this and pointed it out.

"Do you want some rum, darling?" he asked.

"Oh, no!" she exclaimed. "No, I don't drink."

"Then, wha's wrong?"

"…Alcohol is bad." she stated.

"Always been a good friend o' mine." Jack replied.

"No, it's bad." she said. "You shouldn't drink it."

"Why not?" he asked, taking a large swig of rum.

"You'll die." she replied simply.

"I won' die." he told her. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, remember?"

"Yes, but… it's bad…" she said shyly, returning to her food. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business." He let it go. He loved his rum. Nothing was going to change that.

They finished their meals and Violet went up on deck, offering to swab it since she couldn't do much else; Jack stayed in the dining room to drink.

A little while later, Violet finished swabbing the deck and Anamaria came to her.

"Oh, good evening." Violet greeted.

"Yeah, hey, er, I have to tell you something." Anamaria said. Violet looked at her. Anamaria sighed in annoyance. "Jack's been drinking, as you know, and he's very drunk at the moment. He won't hurt you, but I know he finds you terribly attractive, so I'd advise you to stay away from him." Violet blushed at being called terribly attractive. "I mean, he knows not to mess with me, but… well, he's not a bad person, even when he's drunk. It's actually really entertaining from afar. If he tries to kiss you or something, though, just push him away and he'll probably leave. Just heading you up."

"Oh, er, erm, thank you." Violet told her. Anamaria nodded and walked off. Violet headed down to her room and unfortunately ran into Jack on her way there.

"Oh, 'ey, love." he greeted, staggering around more than usual.

"Er, good evening." she greeted, avoiding eye contact and attempting to rush past him. He grabbed her arm and she stopped.

"Where rr you off to?" he asked, slurring.

She wrenched her arm out of his grip and replied. "I'm going to sleep -- it's been an eventful day. I must thank you again for letting me join you on this wonderful ship."

"O' course, darling." he replied drunkenly.

"Er, anyway, I shall see you in the morning." she said uneasily. "Good night." She rushed past him and hurried to her room.

The next morning, Violet went up to the dining hall and found food placed out already. She sat down and waited a moment for Jack to join her, as it wasn't polite to begin a meal without your host, but Jack did not come, so she started the meal anyway. A few moments later, Jack staggered in.

"Good morning." Violet greeted timidly, trying to sense his sobriety.

"Mornin', love." he greeted with difficulty, a hand on his head. She avoided eye contact and ate her meal. He sat down and knocked a fork off the table. "Ah! Be quiet!" he yelled at the fork. "Ah!" he yelled at his own yell and held his head in pain.

"Are… er, are you alright?" Violet asked.

"Wonderful." Jack said flatly. He took a drink of water and started his meal. "I'll ve fine as long as there are no loud noises."

Just then, a cannonball broke through the window and flew past them creating a terrible racket. Jack looked around, shocked, but held his ears in pain nonetheless.

"Augh, what on earth…" he muttered. He got up and went out on deck; Violent followed.

"Cap'n!!" Gibbs yelled, rushing up to them.

"Oh, not so loud…" Jack groaned.

"We're being attacked! What are your orders?!" Gibbs asked urgently.

"Ugh, I can't think straight…" Jack said, disoriented. Violet glanced around and analyzed their situation.

"Cap'n!!" Gibbs yelled in urgency.

"Er, erm…" Jack stuttered, his headache taking over. Finally, the noise was too much -- he passed out. When he fell, he hit his forehead and cut it.

Gibbs looked panicked.

"Er, I have an idea…" Violet said, but no one heard her because she was too quiet. "Erm, excuse me." she said louder, but still no one heard. Another cannonball hit the ship and Violet realized that she coudnt get anything done by being quiet. "HEY!" she yelled as loud as she could. "THEIR CANNONS ARE ON THE STERN! DROP THE ANCHOR ON THE STARBOARD SIDE AND ATTACK! AIM FOR THEIR CANNONS AND DISABLE THEM! HIT A FEW OARS IF YOU CAN!!"

The crew looked at her in surprise, thinking they'd heard someone else. They considered her order.

"Do as the lady says!" Gibbs ordered, and the crew started to commence with the plan.

"Listen to the girl! Hurry up!" Anamaria barked. "She knows what she's saying!"

Violet knelt down next to Jack (who had fallen face first to the floor) and turned him over. She couldn't do much on deck, but she could bandage Jack's head for him. But not here in the line of fire. She would wait until the attack ended.

A little while later, the attack did end as the other ship sank and sent out its lifeboats; the Black Pearl sped off. Gibbs and a man named Mr. Cotton (who was a mute and whose parrot was rested on his shoulder spoke for him) carried Jack below deck to his room and Violet offered to bandage Jack's head. They agreed and provided her with bandages for which to do so.

Violet removed Jack's bandana and started to clean his wound. He woke up and looked around.

"What 'appened?" he asked groggily.

"You passed out." Violet told him.

"Well, aye, but with the attack."

"It was resolved. Someone else will tell you about it." she told him. "I looked after you during it."

"Oh. Well, thank you, darling." he said.

"You see what alcohol does?" she asked, cleaning his wound still. "Nothing good comes of it."

"Aye, but a nice escape.

"What have you to escape from?" she asked a little skeptically.

"What _'aven' _I to escape from?" he asked.

"Well, you have a nice ship and a crew who listens to you." Violet told him. "What more do you want? And… don't you have the treasure of Isla de Muerta?"

"Aye, but it's not even that." he replied. "I 'ave a bad past, I can't escape it."

There are other methods of escape." she told him. "Like… reading a book or… talking to someone."

"Doesn' go away that easily, love." he said.

"Er, might I ask what you're trying to forget?" she asked.

"I've done a lot o' things in me past, sweetheart." he told her. "An' they're not all good either. A lot o' things I'd change, but I can't. It's not easy to live with."

"There's a better way to deal with things, though…" she said quietly. "I'm sorry, it really isn't my business… Oh, can you sit up so I can bandage your head?"

"Sure, love." he replied and sat up.

She started to bandage his head and realized he wasn't looking at her eyes… She shifted uncomfortably and tried to say something to divert his attention, but couldn't think of anything. "Er, erm… so, erm… er…" He looked up at her and smiled as if to say "I didn't do anything wrong!" She quickly finished bandaging and stepped away.

"Well," she began uneasily, "I'll leave you to your thoughts." and she hurried out of the room.

Jack lied back down, scolding himself for being so shallow. A few moments later, Gibbs came in to check on him.

"How're you doing, Cap'n?" Gibbs asked.

"Besides the fact that I'm a fool, I'm fine." Jack replied.

"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked him.

"Nothin', nothin'." Jack dismissed. "Anyway, 'ow'd the attack go?"

"Very well, actually." Gibbs told him. "Miss Violet was the one who actually saved us all."

"What?" Jack asked, looking over at Gibbs.

"Aye, she yelled out some orders and they led us to our victory."

"Wow…" Jack said. "…She yelled?" Gibbs nodded. "An' I didn' know she knew anythin' about ships… Will you go and get 'er to come in 'ere?"

"Aye, Cap'n." Gibbs replied and left the room. A few minutes later, Violet entered the room awkwardly.

"Yes?" she asked. "You wanted to speak with me?"

"Aye, sit down." he told her, sitting up. She looked around and saw nowhere to sit… He saw her hesitation and gestured to the foot of his bed. She blushed, but sat down uncomfortably. "Gibbs told me that you gave the orders that led us to victory. I didn' know you knew anythin' about ships."

"Er, yes, I, erm, well, I've read a lot of stories…" she replied. "A lot of pirate stories."

"Oh, good. I'm glad. See? There's somethin' you can 'elp with. You can be my advisor." he said with a smile. She smiled shyly.

"Oh, might I ask you something?" she asked.

"Sure, love." he replied. "What is it?"

"Er, can I ask what you were doing in Sunset Villa?" she asked, referring to her hometown. "Erm, and why were you running from the guards?"

"Well, I can't lie to you…" he said. "I stole somethin' from the governor… the Emerald of the Sea."

Violet gasped. "_The Emerald of the Sea_?! Oh, my, if they catch you they'll hang you for sure!"

"It's that way in most towns around 'ere." he replied. "Don' worry, though, it'll be fine -- it's for the greater good."

"The greater good?"

"Aye… you see, we need this along with other gems and things that I don' actually know what they are yet… er, in order to find the lost the lost treasure of Charlemagne."

"The what?" Violet asked.

"The lost treasure of Charlemagne." Jack repeated.

"Charlemagne… didn't have a lost treasure…" Violet said. "He wasn't nearly as rich as the kings who came after him… Besides, everything he had he left to his sons, and then it got split up between them and it got inherited throughout the countries they ruled when Charlemagne's empire split."

"You know your 'istory." Jack told her, rather impressed.

"Well, I read a lot…" she replied shyly.

"Good." he said. "Alrigh', look, there really is a lost treasure of Charlemagne. 'e 'ad 'is men go down to Egypt an' rob the tomb and steal the treasure of Seti the first."

"Seti the first…?" Violet asked. "Wait a second… I've heard this story… It's a legend… A bedtime story, really. It isn't true…" she thought for a moment and her eyes widened in amazement and curiosity, "…is it?" she asked hopefully.

"It's absolutely true." Jack told her. "Me dad always told me the story of it an' I finally decided to go after it."

"How do you know where to look?" Violet asked.

"Accordin' to legend, the first thing we 'ad to get was a green jewel of the ocean." he explained. "What better than the Emerald of the Sea? This should some'ow tell us what the next clue is."

"Clue?"

"Aye, you see, no one knows the location of the treasure anymore." he explained. "So, there's a string of clues that'll tell us where it is. For example, Gibbs is tryin' to figure out what the secret to the Emerald of the Sea is -- whatever 'e finds will lead us to the next clue that will lead us to the next one that will lead us to a lot more which will finally lead us to the treasure."

"Maybe I can help." Violet said.

"You think so?" Jack asked.

"Well, I don't know… I mean, I can't do much, but I can try…" Violet replied timidly.

"Alrigh', I'll go an' get the Emerald from Gibbs." Jack said, sitting up.

"Oh, er, should you, er, be moving around like this?" she asked.

"Aye, I'll be fine." he told her. "Wait 'ere, I'll be back in a moment." He got up and left the room. A few moments later, he returned carrying the Emerald. He sat down next to Violet and handed it to her.

"Oh, wow, this is the most expensive thing I've ever been in the presence of… Just a chip off of this is worth… worlds more than I am." she said a bit jokingly.

"Ah, love, the truth is that a jus' little piece of you is worth worlds more than it." he told her.

She blushed and stumbled for words. "Erm, er, th-thank you… I, er, I, er, er, yeah… erm, anyway…" She avoided his eyes and stared at the gem. "Was anything else said about the first clue? Like… what was the context of the story?"

"Erm, I think it said something like… 'the afternoon light of the green jewel of the ocean will guide you,' or something." he replied.

"The afternoon light…?" Violet mumbled. She looked around the room and stood up. She crossed to the window and Jack followed interestedly. She held it under a ray of sun that was shining through the window; Jack leaned over her shoulder, watching intently. Violet noticed this and inched away a little so that Jack wouldn't be too close. The rays of light shone through the gem onto the ground and there were…

"Words!" Violet exclaimed. "Could you try to read them, please?"

"Sure, sweetheart." Jack replied and crouched down on the ground. He examined the words and read them aloud: "Let's see… it says 'The Sword of King Arthur…'"

Violet handed the gem back to Jack. "Apparently, we have to find the Sword of King Arthur… But… there's no set facts about King Arthur…"

"We'll 'ave to do some studyin', won' we?" Jack replied. "Well, I should give this back to Gibbs."

"You're going to return it to the Governor when our journey is done, aren't you?" Violet asked politely.

He looked at her and suddenly felt extremely guilty. "We'll see, darling. The crew may be more attached to it than I am. I'll do what I can."

"That's very good of you, Jack." Violet said.

"Wait 'ere a minute -- I'm not done with you yet." he said with a playful smile. She wasn't exactly sure how to take it, so she just nodded and sat down. Jack left the room and returned the gem to Gibbs. He informed him that they'd figured out the clue, and that they'd better head towards England for obvious King Arthur reasons. Jack went back to his room where Violet was waiting patiently for him to return.

"Alrigh'," he began, "now, I think you need to learn a few things if you're goin' to be comin' on me adventures. The first thing is definitely sword fightin'. I'll 'ave to teach you."

"Oh, well, I, er… I suppose so." Violet hesitated.

"I'll teach you tomorrow, savvy?" Jack said. She nodded. "Alrigh', it's a date, then." She blushed, bid him good day, and left the room.

New adventures begin… in more ways than one…

Alright! That's chapter two! Hope I didn't let anyone down! Thanks for sticking with me this long -- I hope you'll keep reading! Thanks, I love you all! Please review!!

BTW, all must buy the cd We Are Not Alone by Breaking Benjamin. They rock so hard its not even funny! I love it!!


	3. Everyone’s Old Acquaintances

ALRIGHTY! Okay, everyone! Another chapter! Sorry it took me so long to update. Writer's block of doom. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter!!

Chapter 3: Everyone's Old Acquaintances

The next day, Jack started training Violet in sword fighting. She was very uneasy at first because sharp objects are frightening, but Jack was sure he could train her in the ways of sword fighting. Jack decided that they could use his room for a training area since it was very large if he pushed things out of the way.

"Alrigh', now what's better for you do you think? One or two swords?" Jack asked her.

"Er, probably one… I don't have much strength in my left hand." Violet replied.

"Very well, then." Jack picked up a sword off of a table and handed it to her. "Alrigh', well, first stand like this." He took a fighting stance and she attempted to imitate it, but it wasn't quite what he was looking for. "'ere, er… I'm goin' to get behind you, savvy?" She nodded a little awkwardly and he stepped behind her. He had to get her in the correct position. He pressed himself up against her and put her in the right position. She blushed and froze to the correct position. He backed off and went back in front of her and continued with the lesson.

Violet had actually caught on pretty quickly to the sword fighting and didn't do so badly for her first lesson. That afternoon, Jack came to Violet's room and asked her to paint something for him.

"Er, alright, er, what shall I paint?" she asked.

"Well, what would you like to paint?" he replied.

She thought for a moment. "Well… I… have been thinking… Well, I would like to paint you… if you wouldn't mind… You have very nice features for painting… and… I think it would turn out nicely if I were to do that…"

"Well, I'm flattered, darling." he said. "I'd be happy to 'ave you paint me."

"Oh, wonderful!" she replied, very pleased. "I've been painting the most mundane things as of late." She went to her dresser where she had stored her paint supplies and things. "All that has been there was the landscape and things. I never get to paint people." She set up an easel with a board canvas and an area to paint in. "Alright, well, let's see…" she mumbled, staring at him, trying to think of a good pose for him.

"I've seen a lot o' famous paintin's -- is this goin' to be like the ones where the person posin' is wearin' absolutely nothin'?" he asked with a smile.

Her eyes widened as her concentration broke. "No, no, no, no, no! No, er… no… I had envisioned… well… first, would you stand there?" He obeyed. "Alright, now, would you get out your sword and pistol?" He did so. "Alright, let's see… tilt your head down and… put your left leg back a little and to the side and put your right leg forward a little and bent just a bit."

"…That's sort of complicated, sweetheart… Come 'ere an' show me what to do." he told her.

She hesitantly went forward and explained again. "Alright, just tilt your head down a bit. I'm going to be sitting on the floor in front of you, so you'll be looking down." He did so. "Now, put your right leg back a little -- just a little -- and to the side, but straight. …Now, put your right leg forward -- not too much -- and bend it just a little." He was almost the way he was supposed to be, now his arms. "Alright, now your arms…"

"Jus' put them where you want them, love." he said.

She uneasily reached out and grabbed his right arm, putting it in the correct pose, with his sword in front of him. She then took his left arm and set it parallel to his left leg (he was holding the pistol in his left hand). She fixed his hair as she wanted it and sat down in front of him with the easel and paints and started to sketch him with charcoal.

After a little while, Jack's arms began to grow rather tired, but he didn't really care. He decided to break the silence. "So, 'ow's it comin'?"

"Oh, fine." she replied happily. "You are very fun to draw. Your facial features are a challenge to capture, but a challenge is good. I like your face -- drawing it, that is…" she added quickly, blushing. "Your lips are particularly nice -- to draw! Capturing them! With paint! Er… you -- you know what I mean."

He smiled. "Yes, I know what you mean." She continued sketching, blushing profusely.

It took several hours to complete the painting, but when she looked at her work, she was very proud of what she had done.

"Alright, finished." she said happily. He put his sword and pistol away and finally relaxed his arms with relief. He stepped behind her and looked at the painting. His eyes widened.

"Sweetheart, that is amazing." he told her incredulously. "It's… perfect… It looks _exactly_ like me -- I've never seen anything like that before."

She blushed, smiling and proud of her work. "Thank you. And thank you for letting me paint you. Painting is very good for me -- it brings my soul to ease. I liked painting you."

"No, love, thank _you_." he replied. "I've never been painted before -- this is really amazin'."

"I'm glad you like it." she told him. She signed the bottom corner in red paint and looked up at him. "Well, here is me paying my way. That's what I'm here for, right? To paint for you. It's yours."

"Oh, darling, I can't take that from you -- it's wonderful." he declined.

"No, no, it's my pleasure. Please."

"Thank you, sweetheart, this means _a lot_. I would pay a lot o' gold for this."

"Erm, if you don't mind… might I paint you again at some time?" she asked, standing up. "I really liked painting your face. I would like to do a closer up picture of just your face at some point. Would that be alright?"

"O' course it would." he replied. He stepped closer to her and, putting an arm around her shoulders, kissed her head. He was really just being friendly, but she was still uncomfortable. She didn't move. He took the painting from the easel and started for the door. "Thanks again, darling, this really is amazin'. See you at dinner, savvy?" She nodded, blushing, and he left.

That evening, as they were eating, Violet inquired as to where they were going exactly.

"We're 'eaded to Port Royal." Jack replied. "O' course, we're not dockin' there-- I don' 'ave the best reputation there -- we're goin' to dock nearby and walk there. Actually… Violet… I was meaning to ask you a favor…" She looked at him inquiringly. "Could you and Anamaria go into town when we get there and fetch someone for me? I'd go myself, but… well, truth be told, I'm very wanted there."

"Oh… well… I don't know the town at all…" Violet replied shyly.

"Tha's why Anamaria's goin'." he told her. "I jus' think someone should go with 'er, an' women are less conspicuous, so… Besides, you're so adorable, who would think you belong to Captain Jack Sparrow's crew?"

Violet blushed. "Er, I, er, er, thank -- thank you… I, er…"

Jack remembered what compliments seemed to do to her and decided to change the subject. Although, he didn't intend to stop complimenting her -- she looked way too cute when she got flustered. "Well, what do you say, sweetheart?"

"Er, well, I, er… I don't see why not." Violet said.

"Oh, great, thanks, love." Jack replied sincerely. "We should dock there tomorrow. You'll be gettin' Will Turner for me. 'e'll probably bring 'is girl Elizabeth Swann, an' tha's fine."

"Oh, I've read about them!" Violet exclaimed excitedly. "It'll be an honor to meet them!" Jack smiled at her excitement.

The next day, they docked near Port Royal and Violet and Anamaria ventured into the city and found their way to Will Turner's blacksmith shop by asking around. Jack had given them a letter to give to Will, telling him about the adventure ahead. They entered the blacksmith shop and greeted Will. Anamaria did the talking.

"Anamaria!" Will exclaimed, startled. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

"Likewise, mate." Anamaria replied. "Anyway, Jack's got a new adventure planned out and wants you to come with us. Here." she handed him the letter and he took it.

He read over it. "Well… this does sound like quite an adventure…"

"Come on, Will, you're the son of Bootstrap Bill Turner!" Anamaria pressed. "You crave an adventure, I know you do." Will thought for a moment. "Elizabeth is welcome to come if she likes."

"Well… I can't say that I don't want to go on an adventure…" Will said. "…Alright. I'm in. I'll have to see if Elizabeth wants to come or not."

"Great." Anamaria replied. "We're docked just down the main road. A mile or so down. You can just come to the ship anytime today."

Will nodded. He noticed Violet and felt very rude for not noticing her before. "Oh, excuse me, miss." he said to her. "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Will Turner." He took her hand and kissed it. She blushed.

"I -- I'm Violet Amourdoux…" Violet replied shyly. "It's nice to meet you -- I've read quite a lot about you."

"About me? Really?" Will asked, rather taken aback.

"Yes, I've read all about your adventures with Jack." Violet told him.

"I didn't know our adventures were written anywhere…" Will said. "Well, anyway, it's very nice to meet you, Violet, and so nice to see you, Anamaria."

So it was set. Will was to join the adventure. Violet and Anamaria went back to the ship but when they got there, they discovered something they didn't expect…

Half the crew was tied to the mast and others were out cold on the ground. Jack was no where to be found. They ran aboard and freed them.

"Where's Jack?!" Violet asked urgently.

"I don't know…" Gibbs replied, rubbing his head.

"And what happened?!" Anamaria asked.

"Walsh robbed us…" Gibbs explained. "Nothing more to tell. He came aboard, ambushed us, and robbed us…"

"I'm going to find Jack." Violet stated. She was starting to get worried -- no one knew where he was. She searched a lot of the ship hurriedly, and finally went down to the cargo hold where she found him. "Jack!" she exclaimed, hurrying to him. He'd been tied to a pole and was slumped on the floor sadly. She untied the rope binding his hands and freed him.

"Thanks, love." he said dispiritedly.

"Are you alright?" she asked urgently.

"Yes, I'm fine." he replied, defeated. "At least they didn't take the Pearl." He hugged the pole he'd been tied to. "I still 'ave you, sweetheart." he said to his ship. "Oh, Violet, they took everythin'… The treasure of Isla de Muerta…"

"Well, at least you're alright." Violet said optimistically.

He sighed. "Not for long… If we don' 'ave any money, we can't stock up on food at the next port…" Violet's heart sunk. He was right. They had _no_ money, and didn't have a lot of food… "Well, at least you and Anamaria were out… they probably would've taken both of you… So, I guess things are alrigh'. You two are safe." Violet smiled. "Did you talk to Will?"

"Er, yes, we did." Violet replied. "He's going to join us later today."

"Good." Jack sighed in relief. "Whatever we steal, we're goin' to need 'im to 'elp us."

"We're going to steal?" Violet asked innocently.

"Darling, we 'ave to -- we'll starve if we don' steal some money somehow." Violet saw his reasoning, but still didn't like the idea of stealing. "If it bothers you, jus' ask yourself this question: 'What the bloody -- er, nevermind -- 'as society ever done for you?'" Violet thought for a moment and honestly couldn't come up with an answer. "The philosophy of a pirate. …Anyway, let's--" Jack froze. "The Emerald… Oh, God, please tell me they didn' take the Emerald! Come on!" He grabbed Violet's hand and ran upstairs to his room to check if they'd stolen the Emerald of the Sea. Violet was very uncomfortable with this hand-holding, but didn't say anything. He let go of her hand and ran to his bed and dived under it. He pulled up one of the floorboards and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is it still there?" Violet asked.

"Yes, thank goodness." Jack told her. He replaced the floorboard, came back from under the bed, and stood up. "We can sell that for some money, though."

"But -- but it's an artifact…" Violet injected. "It belongs to the town… I thought you were just going to get the clue from it and then return it…"

He felt sort of guilty now… "Well, love, we are pirates after all…" he said. "We… pillage and plunder and rifle and loot… you know the song, don' you?"

"…Well, yes, but… But I think you should return it…" she trailed off. "Never mind. I'm sorry I said that -- I'm not trying to tell you what to do. You're probably right anyway."

He furrowed his brow. "No, darling, I'm very, very wrong. But tha's the pirate life." She avoided his eyes guiltily. He started to panic; that look on her face… He couldn't take that look… He thought for a moment. "You know, love, tha's not such a bad idea." She glanced up at him. "Aye. I mean, we could take it back to your town in exchange for food and provisions… _Lots_ o' food an' provisions… You know, that really isn' a bad idea… What would I do without you, Violet?" She blushed and they went up on deck to wait for Will's arrival.

While on deck, Jack explained that Walsh, the man who robbed them, was an old rival of theirs, and probably would be looking for the same treasure as them. They grew up together on the story and now were prepared to kill each other to get the treasure.

Will arrived later that day, and brought Elizabeth with him. They were more formally introduced to Violet and were to set sail at dawn the next morning for Sunset Villa, where Jack had stolen the Emerald.

A few days later, they arrived there and Jack knew exactly what to do. He'd rowed ashore with Gibbs, along with the Emerald, and scanned the docks. Finally, Jack came up behind the prettiest woman he could see and put a gun to her head. She screamed and guards soon gathered.

"Sparrow?!" one yelled. "You again?!"

"Aye." Jack replied casually. "I've grown rather bored with your little Emerald 'ere, an' could honestly get much better use out o' somethin' else."

"What?!" the guard cried.

"We merely want food and provisions." Jack replied. "We have plenty, but we have so much money, that tha's all we can really think of to trade this for." Wow, what a good bluffer.

"Fine! Sure!" the guard agreed. "Now, let that woman go and give us the Emerald--"

"Not so fast." Jack interrupted. "I need insurance. We'll give you the Emerald, an' you'll fill two rowboats with food an' provisions. My associate an' I will row back to the ship an' release this lass… later."

"Later is not acceptable, Sparrow." the guard stated.

"I'll take 'er to my next destination an' ensure 'er safe return 'ome on a nice, expensive ship, savvy?" Jack told him.

"No, not savvy at all." the guard sneered. "We don't trust you."

"An' I don' trust you!" Jack exclaimed. "What a coincidence! You see, I also need insurance that you won' follow me. We get to our next destination, an' I swear on pain of death, I shall release this lass an' she'll be 'ome without a scratch."

"Don't agree to his terms!!!" the woman screamed.

"I assure your safety, darling -- you got the word o' a pirate." Jack said.

"Well, I don't trust pirates!" she cried.

"Too bad, sweetheart." Jack replied. He looked up at the guard. "So?"

The guard spoke with a few other of the guards and came to a decision. "You have a deal, Sparrow, the Emerald -- _now_."

"What?!" the woman screamed. "No!!!"

"We will pay you quite a bit, miss, but… the Emerald is the town's prized possession -- you must understand." the guard said.

"No!!!!" she screamed, Jack restraining her.

"Off with you, now, guards!" Jack said. "And hurry!"

"First the Emerald." the guard demanded.

Jack looked at Gibbs and nodded. Gibbs tossed the Emerald to the guard who caught it with care.

"Hurry up!" Jack rushed. The guards hurried off.

A little while later, the guards returned with more food and provisions than Jack had anticipated. It would fill the two boats, but they, themselves, would barely fit in them. The boats were filled and Jack and Gibbs rowed off, Jack still holding the woman captive. They got to the Pearl and they heaved the boats up on deck. Violet came over to greet them.

"See, Jack, we didn't have to steal any--" Violet stopped, seeing the captive. "I-I didn't realize we were needing a hostage…"

"It was the only way, sweetheart." Jack replied.

The woman looked up and saw Violet. "Oh… it's you…" she sounded a little disgusted. "You've been taken by this horrible pirate, too?"

"Er, no, not really…" Violet answered awkwardly while the crew started taking the food to the cargo hold. Jack still didn't release the woman.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked.

"Well, I lost my job… and… er… Jack was nice enough… to, er, let me stay on his ship…" Violet explained.

"You stay here by _choice_?!" the woman cried. "Well, I suppose everything we've heard about you is true."

"So, you know Violet, do you, lass?" Jack asked the woman.

"Yes, I do." she replied bitterly.

"She's Christine Abram…" Violet informed.

"And you're Violet Amourdoux." Christine added. "We all know about you -- the town's favorite thing to walk all over."

"I see." Jack said. "So you're used to Violet being your complete inferior, eh?" Violet thought that Jack was going to judge her from this -- he wouldn't want to be around an inferior like her. He'd want someone like Christine. "Well, I'll break you of that. This time, Violet has the bed to sleep in and is free to walk about the ship and _you_ are the one who gets locked in the brig. What goes around comes around, lass."

"This is an outrage!!" Christine cried. "She's not even worth the dirt I walk on!"

"You're wrong there -- you see, Violet 'appens to be a friend o' mine." Jack explained. "So, 'ere, _you_ are the dirt and _she_ is the one who gets to walk on you. On my ship, you take orders from 'er or answer to me." Violet was shocked. She did _not_ expect this at all…

"You can't do anything to me! You'll be breaking your word! It's against the pirate's code!" Christine warned.

"Eh, they're more like guidelines, anyway." Jack dismissed.

"You can't get away with this!" Christine cried. "And you, Violet, you've sunk lower than before! Completely worthless like you've always been! You can't even muster the guts to talk back to anyone, you weak little nothing!"

"That's enough, you trashy wench." Jack growled. "Now, hush before I cut your silver tongue out."

"You filthy pig! You'll pay for this!!" Christine screamed. "And you too, Violet, you'll never be worth anything especially now that you're associating with scum like this, you coward!!"

Violet got up her courage to say something. "Funny how the 'scum' seems to be the only person who's ever treated me like I _am_ worth something!"

Christine glared at her, but didn't say anything more. She, as well as Jack, were rather shocked that Violet would say something like this.

"You tell 'er, love." Jack egged with a smile. "Gibbs!" Jack called, and Gibbs came a few moments later. "Take this garbage to brig, savvy?"

"Aye, Cap'n!" Gibbs replied, restraining a struggling Christine, and hauled her downstairs.

"I-I said something…" Violet mumbled, rather in awe of her own actions. "I can't believe I said something… I talked back…"

"The start of a new beginnin', sweetheart." Jack told her. "Leave the past behind. You're on the Black Pearl now -- you're whoever you want to be." Violet smiled. "You know, the name Violet sounds so long and formal, beautiful as it is. I think I'm goin' to shorten it, savvy?" She nodded. "I'll call you Let from now on. Like it or no?"

"I-I, er, I do… I do like it." she replied shyly.

"Good." Jack said. "Now, shall we do a little more research on our next destination? I've set the course for England. I'll 'ave Anamaria steer an' we can look for things about this clue we 'ave. Will an' Elizabeth can 'elp us -- they're smart. What say you?" Violet smiled and nodded.

After Jack arranged things, he called Will and Elizabeth down to his quarters (Violet had already followed him there), and they started some research. Jack explained that they were looking for the Sword of King Arthur.

After a long time of researching, Violet thought of something. She'd reached the end of the book in which the Charlemagne Treasure story was told and was staring at the inside of the back cover. It had a sword imprinted on it.

"Erm, Jack?" Violet said, breaking the silence. They all looked up at her. "May I please, er, borrow your knife?"

"Er, sure, Let…" he replied, wondering what she wanted it for. He got it out and handed it to her. She slipped it under the paper of the inside back cover and sliced the paper off, revealing a folded up piece of paper under it. They all watched her interestedly. She looked up and saw them staring at her and blushed profusely and started to fumble with the paper. Jack gestured to Will and Elizabeth not to stare and they obeyed.

"All I can find is things about Camelot…" Elizabeth said. "We all know that King Arthur's Court was in Camelot… but no one knows where that is…"

"This entire adventure is based on a story, Jack." Will told him wearily. "We don't know any of this exists."

"I know it exists." Jack stated. "I 'ave faith that it does."

"Er, this is something interesting." Violet finally said. "It seems to be a map…"

"A map?" Jack asked. "To where?"

Violet stared intently at the map. "I think… I think it's a map to Camelot…"

ALL DONE FOR NOW! So, did you all like that chapter? I certainly hope so! Yay for Violet! Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Luv you all! Shall update as soon as I can!  
> Cara >


	4. Breakaway

Hello! Finally, a Violet update! I have a lot of fics going, so I'm doing mah best! School? What the hell is that? Anyway, yeah, so enjoy this chapter! As you can see from the chapter title, this chapter was partially inspired by the song "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. It's a good song! Listen to it! Enjoy!

BTW, thanks to all my great reveiwers who are wonderful:tear:'-) Anyway, ENJOY!

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Chapter 4: Breakaway

"Camelot!" all but Violet exclaimed.

"Apparently…" Violet replied. "It's not far from London, it seems… So… we could dock there and get horses and ride to the place on the map."

"Sounds like a plan, sweetheart." Jack said. "Only… we 'ave no money to buy horses."

"Well, er, you had told me earlier about a pirate's philosophy and all…" Violet told him. "We - we _are_ pirates, after all… Let's steal them."

"You'd be alrigh' with that?" Jack asked.

"Well, it's an emergency… we have no other alternative…"

"Good, no worries, then." Jack stated. "Alrigh', London it is, then."

So, it was set. They were to sail to London…

One day, Violet went down to take food to Christine, Jack followed her, though she didn't know it.

"Here you are." Violet said politely, handing Christine her food. Christine took it without thanking her. "Erm, Christine? May I ask you something?"

Christine sighed irritatedly. "What?"

"Back in town… at Sunset Villa.." Violet said, "why did they make fun of me?" Christine's lip curled in annoyance. Jack watched interestedly, with sympathy for Violet. "Why did they laugh? What did I do?" Christine sighed again. "Please, Christine. I've always wanted to know."

"Because you're you, Violet." Christine snapped. "You're _too_ polite and nice to everyone - we know you're hiding something. No one acts like that."

"N-no… I just… think everyone should be nice… I don't see the point to being mean and rude…" Violet replied meekly.

"Well, anyway, your parents were the town drunks - they're trash."

"B-but _I'm_ not trash…"

"It's in your blood - the way things are." Christine stated. "And, look, you're too quiet. You _let_ people step all over you. You _let_ them make fun of you - you bring it on yourself."

"If I don't mean to…" Violet stuttered.

"Maybe this pirate can teach you something - maybe next time someone throws something at you, you won't just smile politely, pick it up, and give it back to them!"

"I didn't realize politeness was a fault…" Violet mumbled.

"Look, if anyone finds out that I'm even talking to you, my name will get dragged through the mud." Christine told her.

"Christine…" Violet said, "why must you conform…? Why must you do what everyone else does? How can you be an individual if you're just like everyone else?"

"I don't want to be an individual, I want to be accepted."

"Why would you want to be accepted by people who will never accept the real you?" Violet asked. "If you can't be yourself, then who are you?"

"Violet, _this_ is why they all laugh at you." Christine added. "You say and do all these things… you're too different."

"But it's so much better than being all the same…" Violet told her. "I'm trying to breakaway from normality…"

"Look, I can never speak normally to you…" Christine said. "You're you, and… I have my reputation to think about. That pirate can never make me speak on friendly terms to you. No matter what he does, no matter how much you sleep with him, he can't make me compromise my social terms."

Violet's eyes widened. "I am _not_ doing that…"

"What?"

"What you said…"

"I said a lot, what?" Christine asked, annoyed.

"My and Jack's relationship is purely platonic…" Violet told her. "_Purely_ platonic."

"Oh, please." Christine snorted. "The way he takes up for you - don't lie."

"I'm not lying." Violet pressed. "I don't do things like that."

"That's not what Robert Townsend said." Christine replied, avoiding Violet's eyes.

Violet faltered. Jack watched with interest. Violet wanted to contradict, she wanted to speak up and stand up for herself, but the words didn't come. Violet looked incredibly hurt and Christine still refused to look at her. Her eyes started watering and she sniffled. She turned from Christine and started to hurry out of the room. Jack looked a little panicked and slipped behind the door so she wouldn't see that he was listening. After he was sure Violet was gone, he went down to speak with Christine.

"You are vicious!" Jack told Christine incredulously. "On this ship, you treat her with respect. Violet's a nice girl - a hell of a lot better than you. If I 'ear that you're mistreatin' her, I'll sell you to a slave trade."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me, wench." Jack growled.

"When Sunset Villa hears the way you've treated me, you'll have a price on your head so high, the King of England will want to go after it." Christine threatened.

"I'm shakin' in me boots, darling." Jack replied sarcastically.

"Oh, bite me."

"Rather not." he replied. "You know, I can even quit feedin' you - you can starve to death. You 'ave two choices: respect Violet an' be fed and treated as well as we can treat a prisoner, or you can keep bein' rude an' we can starve you an' sell you to a slave trade. Pick one." He turned and began to walk off.

"How much do you love this girl?" Christine asked incredulously. Jack stopped, but didn't reply. "Did she lie? Are you sleeping with her? Honestly?"

"No, I am _not_ sleepin' with 'er." he replied firmly. "It's like she said: purely platonic."

"Then _why_ do you take up for her like that?" she asked. "What has she got that you want?"

"…I take up for 'er because she's got no one else to do it. She's totally 'elpless. I don' understand why everyone looks down on 'er. She's honestly the sweetest, purest girl I've ever met - I think everyone's jus' jealous. The poor girl jus' needs someone to protect 'er - I couldn' possibly deny 'er o' that." He marched off. He decided to check on Violet to see if she was alright.

"Violet?" he called, knocking on her door.

"Erm, just a moment!" Violet called back - she definitely sounded like she had been crying.

"Violet, I 'eard what 'appened!" he called. "Please let me in!" After a moment, Violet opened the door. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Next time that Christine woman treats you badly, you tell me - I threatened 'er pretty well, you shouldn' 'ave a problem with 'er anymore."

"You shouldn't threaten people, Jack…" Violet told him, sniffling.

"Sometimes it's the only way to 'andle people like that, sweetheart." he said. "People like that who've never been taught that everyone is equal."

"…How much of that conversation did you hear?" Violet asked warily.

"Basically the whole thing." he replied truthfully.

"Oh, no…" she sighed. "So you heard about my parents, then…" he nodded. "Yes, the town drunks… they were terrible people… I've always tried my hardest not to be like them…"

"Well, I think you've succeeded in that endeavor - you're a wonderful girl." Jack said comfortingly. She blushed and smiled awkwardly. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Your new life on the Black Pearl is goin' to be better than you dreamed. Don' 'esitate to breakaway from normality 'ere. I'm goin' to cheer you on for that. Forget about Sunset Villa. …You're goin' to touch the sky, sweetheart. I promise. "

It took them three months to reach England, and Violet hadn't had anymore problems with Christine. She'd gotten better at sword fighting, but remarkably good at shooting. They'd researched more about Camelot and found something else that connected with the map. It basically said that Camelot would only permit four people to enter; if any more than four came, Camelot would be completely invisible to the naked eye. All in the four's company had to remain a good mile away in order for anyone to enter. So, Jack, Violet, Will, and Elizabeth were to venture on this quest.

Over the three months, Violet and Jack had grown closer. Violet had also grown closer to Will, Elizabeth, and Anamaria. She was starting to grow closer to Gibbs, but she was always uneasy around men. It was different with Will, though, because he was always with Elizabeth, and he seemed so very nice.

Violet had learned a lot about Jack's past, and he'd learned a lot about hers. It turned out that Violet's parents used to yell at her relentlessly for no reason and beat her for no reason as well. Jack's sympathy had grown for her, but that wasn't the only feeling that had grown for her…

They set out on their journey upon arriving in London, all on horseback. Violet shared Jack's horse since she'd never ridden before. She was feeling rather uneasy because she had to hold onto him to keep herself from flying off the horse, but she dealt with it. The ride was about two miles and didn't take as long as they thought they would to get there. They dismounted and made their way through trees until they saw something that made them all freeze: a dragon. An actual dragon was sleeping in front of the gates to Camelot. One of the horses whinnied loudly and the dragon awoke, looking around suspiciously; it spotted them.

"YOU THERE! ALL OF YOU!" it roared. "COME HERE! COME HERE OR I'LL FRY YOU ALL!" The dragon was green scaled with frills around its neck. It's neck was very long and it had huge, bat-like wings. The claws on its feet were as sharp as the sharpest blade forged. It's teeth were long and vicious-looking. His eyes were yellow with small black slits. It had two large horns on it's head, and spines running down its back. Its long tail had a several spikes at the end of it and looked lethal.

Jack started towards it and motioned for the others to follow. "Watch what you say around it - do whatever it says. Dragons are moody and won' 'esitate to roast you." he warned.

"How do you know?" Violet asked interestedly.

"I've read quite a lot, sweetheart." he replied, looking at the dragon. They stopped in front of it and Jack bowed. The others imitated him, nearly panicking at this sight. The dragon was huge - sixty feet tall at the least.

"WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" the dragon roared. Jack motioned for Elizabeth to introduce herself first.

"Er, I am Elizabeth Swann!" Elizabeth yelled politely.

"I'm Will Turner!"

"Er, I'm - I'm Violet Amourdoux!" Violet yelled, though her yell wasn't really that loud.

"An' I'm Captain Jack Sparrow!" Jack yelled. "We're 'ere to get the Sword of King Arthur!"

"OH, YOU ARE, ARE YOU?" the dragon roared. "AND YOU EXPECT TO JUST WALTZ IN AND TAKE IT, DO YOU?"

"No, not at all, we merely want to know _how_ we shall go about gettin' it!" Jack yelled.

"WELL… YOU MUST PROVE YOURSELVES WORTHY!" it roared. "BUT FIRST… I get so bored here alone all the time what do you all do? Who exactly are all of you?" Wow. It sounded friendly now. It sank its head close to the ground and looked at them.

"Well, er, I'm the daughter of the governor of Port Royal in the Caribbean…" Elizabeth said.

"I'm a blacksmith…" Will told it, rather uneasy.

Jack piped in. "I'm proud to say that I'm a pirate - I 'ave no shame of that. I seek freedom an' adventure!"

"Well, that sounds very interesting!" the dragon exclaimed. "And what about you?" he asked, looking at Violet.

"I-I'm a painter…" she replied meekly.

"Ah, a painter! That's wonderful - you ever paint a dragon?" the dragon asked.

"N-no, but I've always wanted to!" Violet said, growing more excited about the fact that she was conversing with an actual dragon. "I've read so much about dragons! They're absolutely fascinating creatures! I don't think books do them justice! It's such an honor to meet one in real life!"

"Well, I'm glad to know it!" the dragon exclaimed, pleased. "I'm afraid I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Pyhrrus. Now, let's see here… you need the Sword of King Arthur, do you? Well, I like you all very much. I really do. There's two challenges to beat. A riddle and a battle. Because I'm so fond of you, you get to decide which you take first."

They looked at each other and all seemed to be urging Jack to decide for them.

"I suppose the battle." Jack told Pyhrrus.

"Very well, my friends. Good luck." Pyhrrus bid them and stood up on his hind legs. He completely towered above them now, more so than before. The drawbridge to the castle opened, and ten armored men ran from the gate and charged at them.

"Violet, stay out o' this." Jack ordered, concerned about her.

"I-I can fight." she said.

"This is a bad time to test it out, love, get back." he stated. She backed up, out of battle. She'd armed herself with five guns, all hidden in the ruffles of her dress, and brought extra shots with her. She wanted to help in some way, and goodness knows, ten against three wasn't fair. She released the safety on her pistol and aimed at one of the attackers' chests. They were so far away, but she had become quite a good shot - she had sharp eyes. She fired and hit the attacker square in the chest. Jack, Will, and Elizabeth didn't have time to marvel at her shot, they had started fighting already.

Jack quickly fought one off and slew another (not exactly on purpose, his sword just kind of stabbed the other attacker as he started to slash the first attacker). Will fought with three as Jack took on two more, Elizabeth fought with two as well. Violet aimed quickly with another pistol and shot one of Will's attackers in the stomach. She pulled out another pistol and shot one of Elizabeth's attackers. One of Will's attackers started to charge at her, but she pulled out yet another pistol and fired, bringing the attacker down.

Violet pulled out her last loaded pistol and shot one of Jack's attackers. Now, Jack, Will, and Elizabeth were all evenly matched, facing one attacker each. Violet reloaded her guns, anyway, which took up the rest of the battle time. After all the attackers were killed and Violet's guns reloaded, Pyhrrus sat down again in front of the gate.

"Impressive, I must say!" Pyhrrus said incredulously. "Those were tough soldiers! They've been here for hundreds of years, waiting for someone to challenge them… Anyway, the riddle now, yes?" They all nodded. "Wait… first, there's something I must know. You two," he said, pointing at Jack and Violet, "are you a couple? You would look awfully good together." Jack and Violet glanced at each other.

"Er, actually-" Violet began, but Jack nudged her.

"Dragon, Let. Whatever 'e wants - play along." Jack whispered. He raised his voice so Pyhrrus could hear him. "Actually, yes, we are." He put his arm around Violet's shoulders. She tried her hardest to act like it wasn't bothering her, and apparently doing a good job of it.

"Good!" Pyhrrus bellowed. "It's always good to see people together who belong together! …So, anyway, the riddle!" He thought for a moment. "Alright, this is a good one. You get this one right and the Sword is yours. _Half life in the air, half life on the ground. One is silent, many make sound. When one dies another comes. Its home empties only when it succumbs._"

No one spoke. They were all busy thinking about the riddle. Jack had _no_ idea. Will and Elizabeth were almost stumped, but still thinking hard. Violet was seriously considering the riddle. She could figure it out… she had to… she _was_ good for something and she wanted to show it. Pyhrrus had resolved to restlessly flapping his wings and scraping trees with his claws. It stayed silent. After about ten minutes of silence…

"Er, may I guess?" Violet asked politely. Pyhrrus perked up and looked at her hopefully.

"Well, someone's got to." he said. "Go ahead."

"Is it…" Violet began warily, "a… leaf?"

Pyhrrus stared at her. "A leaf?" he asked. "Is that your guess?"

"Y-yes…" Violet stuttered nervously.

"…Congratulations!" Pyhrrus exclaimed. "That's correct!" They all sighed in relief. "Go on ahead! The Sword is yours!"

They all exchanged glances, beaming. Pyhrrus stood up and cleared their way to the gate. They all hurried inside the gate to the courtyard and laid eyes on the Sword sitting on a stone pedestal. Jack rushed to it and picked it up.

"Oh, Captian?" Pyhrrus said. Jack turned around. "That sword has special powers. You can defeat _anyone_ with it. It has incredible power." Jack looked at he sword in his hands in marvel. "You're going to need it. There's one more challenge…"

Just then, twenty heavily armored men ran out from the castle and into the courtyard. All their eyes widened and they prepared for battle. Jack was quick to charge into the fight since he remembered the sword's powers. He fought with everything he had. Will and Elizabeth fought as hard as they could, but more of the attackers' focus was on Jack at the time, since he had the sword. Violet did what she could, shooting, but it took so long for her to reload that she didn't have a big chance. She started to be attacked by the men and she pulled out her sword and started to fight. The fight was long, but they all came out of it with no terrible wounds.

Pyhrrus looked at them, impressed. "You are truly worthy of the Sword. Could you feel the power, Captain?" Jack nodded, somewhat amazed. Pyhrrus lowered his head to Jack's level. "The Sword has _no_ power, Captain. None at all. You fought all those men yourself." Jack's eyes widened, realizing he could've easily been killed in that fight. "That's the key to life. Stay confident - you can do anything."

"Dragons really are the wisest creatures!" Violet said incredulously, smiling.

"Why, thank you." Pyhrrus replied. "Well, the Sword is yours now. I'll tell you what… This land is very large and quite empty… Have any of you ever flown?" They all shook their heads, with looks on their faces saying "Of course not! That's impossible!" "Well, do you want to?"

They all exchanged glances and decided. "YES!" they all cried.

Pyhrrus laughed. "Alright, come out of the courtyard, then." They obeyed and he lied down so they could climb onto his back. "Hold onto something _tightly_. You won't hurt me, so grab a horn or something. Jack sat down on Pyhrrus's head and grabbed onto one of his horns tightly. "I would suggest the women hold onto the men and the men hold onto me. And don't worry about falling. I have perfect reflexes - I'll catch you."

"Violet - 'ang onto me." Jack said, gesturing for her to come to him. She was so excited about actually flying, that she wasn't even uneasy at all. She sat down behind Jack and put her arms around his waist, holding on tightly. The same was with Will and Elizabeth.

"Alright, let's fly." Pyhrrus stated, and started to flap his wings, causing great amounts of wind. They gained altitude and Pyhrrus started glided across the land swiftly. They were all amazed at this experience. This was way too fun - they were all laughing and marveling at the sights. They soared high above the ground and Pyhrrus flapped his wings harder and they flew up into the clouds. They couldn't even see the ground anymore - it was just clouds. Pyhrrus kept flapping his wings, but stayed in place. Will looked back at Elizabeth and they kissed. This sight of clouds was the most amazing thing… Jack looked back at Violet and smiled, she beamed back at him.

"I told you you were goin' to touch the sky, Let." he said, and kissed her forehead. She smiled. Small, soft clouds hit them, like dreams hinting at their future. They could feel the clouds. They weren't solid at all - they were wet… Who knew!

Pyhrrus started to fly back to the ground, but flew incredibly fast, they were all having the time of their lives.

Pyhrrus landed on the ground and let them off. They were all out of breath and their adrenaline was rushing faster than it ever had. They all thanked him profusely for that privilege. Jack retrieved the sword and they readied their horses.

"You are my friends." Pyhrrus told them. "So, I'll tell you what. I want to see you all again. Take this." He swished his tail and brought it close to him; he pulled off a scale. "Take one of my smallest scales." (Of course, one of his smallest scales was the size of a large dinner plate) "Whenever you need help, I shall come to your aid."

"Thank you so much, Pyhrrus." Violet said. "I promise I'll paint you - I'm not likely to forget what you look like. Thank you for everything."

"It was my pleasure, my friends." Pyhrrus replied.

Jack retrieved the Sword and they bid farewell to Pyhrrus, and rode back to the Pearl.

When they arrived, they decided to try and figure out the Sword's clue tomorrow. Today, they were just going to relax for a while. Violet and Jack were on deck, talking. Jack kept staring at her and she noticed it. She tried to ignore it, but after awhile, she couldn't anymore.

"That was just such an amazing experience - Pyhrrus was fascinating…" Violet said. Jack gazed into her eyes and she gazed into his.

"…Don't look at me like that…" Violet told him.

"Like what?" he asked.

"…Like you want to kiss me..." she replied.

"Well, why not?" he asked her.

She stared into his gorgeous brown eyes and was unable to move. "Because… because I… I… I'm afraid I might let you…"

"Would that be so bad?" he asked, moving closer to her.

She thought for a moment. Her mind buzzed with possibilities. She fought a mental battle with herself. "You're still looking at me like that…"

"Like I want to kiss you?" She nodded. "Well, I do, sweetheart." She stared at him, battling her thoughts, but did not move. "Make you a promise. You can push me away anytime you want an' I will _never _get mad at you."

She still stared, unmoving, the battle raging in her mind. Finally, the battle ended and she came to a decision. She nodded. He smiled and leaned over and kissed her gently, placing a hand on the side of her head. But he wasn't about to make this a short kiss by any means; he deepened it and put an arm around her waist, pulling her closer. For a moment she was fine, but not long. She placed a hand on his chest and slowly pushed him away. He looked down at her, fearing he'd offended her or something.

"No, no, no, Jack…" she said, inching out of his grasp. "It's not you… And don't think that I don't want to… I just…" She looked up at him sadly. "It's me… I shouldn't have thought I could be involved with someone… I'm sorry…" She started to turn and leave, but he grabbed her arm.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She pushed his hand off her arm and turned back to him. "You don't want to get involved with me, Jack… There's too much wrong… Far too much…"

"I'm not goin' to 'urt you, Violet." he told her. "I would never do that. Can't you trust me after all this time?"

"Of course I can… it really isn't you…"

"You can trust me, darling." he said, putting his arms around her. "I'm really not goin' to 'urt you - I promise."

"N-no, I know that, Jack…"

"I promise it doesn' 'urt." he told her. He leaned over and kissed her gently. "See? No pain from me, darling." She stared up at him for a moment. "You know me. You can trust me. You feel unhappy for one _moment_ an' I'll fix it. An' if it turns out that this doesn' work, tha's fine. Whatever _you_ want, Let. Pyhrrus was right - we should be together."

"I… I just don't know… My mind is telling me…"

"Ignore logic, love. Ignore it." he said. "Breakaway, Violet… _breakaway_ from the past. It's all about you now." She still stared up at him, fighting an even larger mental battle with herself. She really liked Jack… but her parents would never let her… But this is a new life… Breakaway… _Breakaway_… "What do you say?"

She decided. She smiled and nodded. He smiled as well and leaned over and kissed her. She wasn't conflicted anymore. This was right. This was _supposed _to be. He deepened the kiss and she returned all of the emotion. This was right… Her old life was gone - she had to forget it… She had to breakaway…

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Poor Violet. So many emotional problems. But we all love her, right? Yeah. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed that chapter! I'll have another one up soon, hopefully! I think it was about time that Jack and Violet got together, don't you? I think it was about time. I think so. I hope so. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!

Current addiction: The soundtrack to "Ray!" Oh, wow, it's great! For those of you who are Ray Charles fans, anyway. "I'm through with romance, I'm through with love! I'm through with counting the stars above!" :dances: WOO! Anyway, check it out!


	5. Out of Sight, Never Out of Mind

New chappy! Enjoy! Thanks to Johnny'shumiliatedgrape and Forensic Photographer711 for reviewing! You guys rock!

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CHAPTER 5: OUT OF SIGHT, NEVER OUT OF MIND.

The next day, they all examined the Sword for any possible clues. They scoured the text of the story for anything that could help them figure things out. This one wasn't so hard to figure out - it was right in the text.

"The Sword is the key to the cave unknown at… er… these bearings…" Violet read, showing the map to Jack. "The rock of the sun is the keyhole to succession."

"Well, it was easy this time. The bearin's are righ' there." Jack said.

"Yes, but… Where is this?" Violet asked. "Where would these bearings put us?"

"Hmm… let me get a map." he told her, getting up to retrieve one. "Judgin' by the bearin's themselves, I'd say it'll put us somewhere … in or near America." He pulled out a map and scanned it, running his fingers along it. "Mexico."

"I-I've never been to Mexico…"

"Me either!" Jack replied excitedly. "Lucky us!"

"I've… heard many things about Mexico…" Violet hesitated.

"Oh, love, it'll be an adventure!" he pressed. "Excitin' an'… adventurous!" Violet still looked nervous. "'ey, nothin's goin' to 'urt you. 'specially because you're _my_ girl. You got nothin' to be afraid of, Let." She looked up at him trustingly and smiled, nodding.

It would take them three months to sail back to the Caribbean and up the Gulf of Mexico. They sent Christine back to Sunset Villa on a passenger ship - good riddance. They planned to dock somewhere off the coast of Florida and then call on Pyhrrus to fly them to the bearings.

Pyhrrus picked them up and flew them across America, into Mexico.

"Thank you, Pyhrrus." Violet told him. "We will call upon you again once we get what we need."

"It's fairly deserted here - I'll wait." Pyhrrus said. Violet nodded and he and Jack looked around, searching for "the rock of the sun." The sun was setting and cast shadows on the land.

"Hey…" Violet said, looking up at a tall rock - light leaked through it and gleamed onto a rock nearby it.

"That's it!" Jack exclaimed, hurrying over to the rock. There was a keyhole-shaped light shining on a slit in the rock. Jack pulled out the Sword and stuck it in the slit of the rock. Rumbling commenced…

"Uh oh…" Violet mumbled. Pyhrrus stomped over to them.

"Grab onto my talons!" Pyhrrus yelled, and Jack and Violet obeyed. He flew up into the air and hovered there just as the ground gave way. Pyhrrus landed next to the large hole that was formed and Jack and Violet stared down into it. There was a staircase leading downward…

"Looks like there are torches…" Jack said. "They're not lit, though…" Suddenly, Pyhrrus breathed fire into the cave, lighting all the torches that lined the walls. "Thanks."

"Anytime." Pyhrrus replied. "now go and get… whatever you're getting… What is it you're getting?"

"The story said we would be gettin' some kind o' staff." Jack told him.

"Ah…" Pyhrrus said. "Staffs are used for magic, you realize. I'd suggest you be wary." They nodded and ventured into the cave. Jack grabbed one of the torches and they continued on.

They trekked far down the tunnel until it turned left and opened into a huge cave. Trails led through it, stalagmites and stalactites were rank throughout it.

"Take left or right - it matters not." a voice echoed. They looked around and saw no one. "The trails all lead to the guardian. Pure of intention, I see. Tell me, before you choose a trail, who is better? Men or women? Do not lie, I can tell if you do. Sir, you answer first."

"Well… they're equal." he replied, looking for the voice.

"…And you, miss, what do you think?" the voice asked. It sounded female, but deep - the echoes impaired their ability to decipher the gender of the voice.

"I-I certainly think they are equal!" Violet said uneasily.

The voice said nothing for a moment. "Yes, you both are sincere. Choose the left path. The right leads to a pit of spikes."

They looked at each other, but headed down the left trail, Jack taking Violet's hand.

Finally, they came to another tunnel that opened into a huge torch lit room. In the middle of the room, a woman sat on a rock, holding a staff. She wore a black cloak that wrapped around her, but her head was left uncovered. She had long black hair that shone in the torchlight.

"You're here for the Staff of Trials, aren't you?" the woman asked. "It's yours. Take it." Jack started toward her, but she put a hand out to stop him. "Not you. The girl." Violet glanced at Jack, but walked toward the woman and took the staff from her. "You will suffer three trials for this."

"'ey! You didn' tell us that!" Jack yelled as Violet returned to him. He grabbed her hand.

"Whoops." the woman said flatly. "Anyway, you will lose some of your senses. Once you gain back the first one, you lose another, perhaps two, and then when you gain them back, you'll lose another. After all is done, if you have trudged through the trials well, you will get instructions on going to the next clue. Good luck." She disappeared into thin air.

Violet looked worried, but they hurried out of the cave and back to Pyhrrus, who flew them back to the ship. It was nighttime when they got back to the Pearl. They thanked Pyhrrus and he flew back home. Jack and Violet put the Staff in Jack's room and talked for a moment.

"Nigh', Let." he bid her, and kissed her forehead. Her brow furrowed.

"Wait…" she mumbled. She placed her hands on his cheeks and looked panicked. "I can't… I can't feel you, Jack! She was right! I can't feel you!"

"Er, now, don' panic, love…" he told her consolingly. She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. She shook her head and backed away from him.

"I can't feel you!" she panicked. "Your warmth is gone!"

"W-well, sweetheart, it could be worse…" he said.

"I-I suppose so…" she trailed off.

"Get some rest, darling." he told her and kissed her.

"…I can't feel it…" she said quietly and sighed. "Well, good night, Jack…"

"Nigh', love."

Violet was having a hard time dealing with this loss of feeling. She didn't eat much and slept a lot. Jack was worried about her, but couldn't do anything about it. This remained consistent for a week, when one day she got the sense back.

"Jack!" she cried, bursting into his room. "I can feel now! Of course, I discovered it by cutting my finger on accident, but I can feel, nonetheless!"

"Oh, good! I was so worried about you, darling!" he exclaimed, hugging her.

"I missed this… feeling your warmth…" she sighed.

"Don' worry, sweetheart everything is goin' to be fine." he told her. "You're goin' to be…" his voice faded out.

She looked up at him and his mouth was still moving. She opened her mouth to say "Jack, I can't hear you!" but nothing came out. She looked terrified.

"What?" Jack asked, though she couldn't hear him.

"I can't hear you!" she mouthed, her voice gone.

"Sweetheart…"

"I can't even hear myself!" she mouthed, not realizing her voice was absent.

"Darling, you… you're voice… it's gone…" he said worriedly.

"No! I've got to be able to hear you!" she mouthed. "I have to hear your voice! This isn't fair!"

He realized what was going on and went to his desk and fished out some parchment and a quill and ink. He wrote something down and handed it to her.

'You've lost your voice' it said.

'Oh, no…' she thought. She grabbed the quill and wrote.

'How can I go without hearing anything?' she wrote. 'I'll go insane!'

Jack read over it and thought for a moment. 'If you need anything at any hour of the day, just' he hesitated, 'write it down and bring it to me.' She nodded. 'You hungry?' She shook her head.

'Will you come to my room with me? I want to paint you.' she wrote. 'It's all I can do to express myself.'

'Of course, Let.' he wrote back. They went to her room and she painted for several hours. She had paint and she had books. She could survive even without her hearing and voice as long as she had those things. She wasn't sure how she could deal with seven days of silence, but she was going to do her best.

Over the next week, she painted a lot and read a lot. She slept quite a bit so she wouldn't have to deal with silent life. Though, paint was all she needed. She could paint and paint and paint and be perfectly content. She missed the sound of her own voice, singing quietly which no one ever heard, anyway. One day, though, her senses returned to her, much to her relief. She happened to be eating dinner at the time. Jack had been humming a song and she could faintly hear it. She jerked her head up at Jack.

"Jack!" she exclaimed, her voice hoarse, smiling in relief.

He looked at her. "Oh, love! Your voice is back! I was going crazy without it."

"Oh, me too - and I couldn't hear you! That was horrible…" she said. "I just hope this next sense that's going to be taken away isn't worse than that…"

"Me too, sweetheart." he told her, and leaned over and kissed her. "Whatever is next, I'll still be 'ere for you." She gazed into his eyes. Everything started to lose its color and then went black. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. She started to panic and her breathing quickened. "What? What is it?" She continued to breathe quickly.

"Jack, I can't see!" she cried, feeling out with her hands for his. He took her hands in his.

"Oh, love, it's alrigh'." he said comfortingly. "You'll be fine!"

"No, I won't!" she exclaimed. "You don't understand! I have to be able to see! I can't paint if I can't see! I can't read! I can't do anything!"

"Oh, sweetheart, calm down, it's alrigh'." he comforted.

"It is _not_ alright!" she cried, standing up. "Jack, I can't live like this!"

"Darling, don' panic." he told her, hugging her. She struggled, panicking. "Stop. Stop - it's alrigh'! It's alrigh'. I'll never leave your side, savvy? I promise." She stopped struggling and hugged him back.

"But… for seven days… what am I going to do with my time for seven days?" she asked helplessly.

"I'll be 'ere - I'll entertain you somehow." he assured. She hugged him still.

They spent quite a lot of time on deck - Jack needed to steer the ship and Violet liked the feel of the sea air. That night, Jack led Violet to her room and was bidding her goodnight when thunder crashed loudly. Violet let out a small scream and stumbled; Jack caught her.

"It's jus' a storm, sweetheart, it's alright." he comforted, hugging her.

"I-I hate them…" she hesitated. "They scare me… a lot…"

"Oh, darling… Are you goin' to be alrigh'?" he asked, concerned.

"Er, yes, I'll be - AH!" she cried as thunder crashed again. "I'll be fine."

"I'll stay with you, love." he told her.

"Oh, that's… that wouldn't be very…"

"I'll sleep on the floor." he said. "But I'll be 'ere all nigh'."

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that. Don't go out of your way for me."

"I want to." he stated.

She nodded (against her better judgment). "Er, I have to get dressed for bed - my closet is in… that general direction, isn't it?" she asked, pointing at the window.

"No." he replied, smiling. "If you'd gone that way, you'd 'ave fallen into the Caribbean. That's not so fun."

"Oh…"

"I'll 'elp you over there." he told her, putting an arm around her; they walked over to the closet.

"Thank you." she said, feeling out for the doorknob and opening the door. "Oh… I can't see anything… like what is what…" She entered her closet and felt around until she felt something that seemed like it was nightwear-like… "What is this?" she asked, turning around.

"A stunning nightgown that I strongly suggest you wear." he replied with a smirk, even though she couldn't see it.

"Er, alright…" she said, blushing. "Er, if you wouldn't mind…" she ushered him out of the closet while she dressed. A few minutes later, she stepped out of the closet. "It's not on backwards, is it?" she asked doggedly.

"No, you look perfectly gorgeous." he told her.

She blushed. "Er, erm, can you help me get over to the bed, please?" she asked, awkwardly reaching her hand out to him. He took it and helped her to her bed. Thunder crashed and she jumped. She got under the covers. "Jack, it's not fair that you have to sleep on the floor. You don't have to stay here."

"No, sweetheart, it's alrigh' - I don' want you to be alone." he told her. "I can't imagine what it must be like to not be able to see."

"But… the floor isn't comfortable - please don't sleep on the floor… I'd feel really bad…"

"Don' worry about it, love." he told her. "If I get uncomfortable, I'll just find something else to sleep on - don' worry." She sighed and nodded. "Nigh', Let."

"Goodnight." she bid and he kissed her. A little while later, she fell asleep, feeling safer than she had in a long time…

After a few hours, Jack started to grow increasingly uncomfortable on the hard wood floor. He stood up and sat in a chair by the door. He shifted to about seventeen thousand positions before he decided it was futile. He looked around the room; the only other option was sleeping next to Violet… She wouldn't like that… But she was asleep. She'd never know - as long as she didn't wake up… He went to the side of her bed and looked at her, silently asleep. He slowly lied down, hoping not to wake her. He put an arm around her, hoping it would comfort her a little.

An hour later, thunder crashed and Violet jumped. She woke up, but Jack didn't… Her eyes shot open as she felt the arm around her. She was tired and didn't even think it could be Jack since she wasn't used to Jack being there in the first place… She started breathing quicker and panicking. She squirmed out of bed and fell to the floor with a thud. Jack had woken up and saw what was happening. He quickly got up and knelt down next to her, taking her arm. She struggled to get free.

"Let, sweetheart, it's alrigh'." he said comfortingly.

"Jack?" she asked, still breathing quickly.

"Aye, it is - I'm sorry about that… the floor did turn out to be rather uncomfortable…"

"I-I'm sorry about that…" she told him as he helped her up. "I didn't realize it was you…"

"Well… who else would it be?" he asked.

"Er, I-I don't know - I was half asleep, after all." she replied and lied down again.

"Look, love, I want to stay with you - I promise you I won' do anythin' if you jus' let me-"

"No, Jack, it's not a good idea." she told him firmly.

"Darling, I won'-"

"No." she stated. He sighed. "But I don't want you to suffer on the floor either… Just go back to your room - I'm fine now."

"…Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." she replied.

"Well… alrigh'… I'll check on you in the mornin', savvy?"

She nodded and he left the room. She turned over and tears came to her eyes.

"Why do I have to have so much wrong with me?" she whispered to herself.

The next morning, Jack woke up and went to Violet's room to see if she was awake. She was standing next to the window, which she'd opened, dressed for the day, listening to the ocean.

"Mornin', love." he said, coming into her room.

"Hi." she greeted blankly. He went to her side and put an arm around her waist. She stepped away from him uncomfortably. "Erm, why don't we go to breakfast?"

"Sure, darling." he replied, taking her hand to help her get to the dining room. She didn't return the hand-holding, merely let her hand be held because she had to. "You alrigh', sweetheart?" he asked as they went to the dining room.

"Yes, I'm fine." she told him. "Of course I'm fine."

They got to the dining room and sat down. Will and Elizabeth were there eating already.

"Good morning, Violet, Jack." they greeted. They greeted them back.

Violet felt around for her fork and knife and started to attempt to cut her ham, but wasn't doing a very good job of it. She sawed jaggedly at one piece of ham for five minutes. Jack, Will, and Elizabeth all watched her with pity in their eyes. She finally got a piece of ham cut and put it in her mouth (not before missing and hitting her cheek).

"I may not be able to see, but I can feel when people stare at me - I'd like you all to stop, please." she said.

They all muttered an uncomfortable "sorry," and went back to their meals. She reached out for her glass of water and nearly tipped it over before finally getting a drink of it. She set the glass back down and felt around for her fork and knife again.

"Do you need any 'elp, darling?" Jack asked, concerned.

"No." she replied, a little irritated.

"Are you alright, Violet?" Elizabeth asked. "We just want to help you."

"Of course I'm alright - I'm always alright." Violet snapped.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Will asked.

Violet sighed, annoyed. "Of course I'm not alright! I can't paint, I can't read, I can't see Jack, I can't see the ocean, I can't see the food on my plate! I AM _NOT_ ALRIGHT!" She was in tears by this time. "I can't function like this! My whole life, all I've had was everything my eyes could see to get me out of all my terrible situations! If I kept staring at the sunset, time would pass, wounds would heal, and I'd be _alright_ like I always have to be! I don't even have _that_ escape anymore! My parents and Robert Townsend and Christine and all the stupid people in Sunset Villa who never let up! I have no escape left!" She buried her face in her hands and sobbed into them. Jack started to get up, but Elizabeth, sitting next to him, placed a hand on his arm.

"Don't." she whispered to him warningly. "Sometimes touching people to comfort them just makes it worse." He looked at her worriedly. After a few moments, Violet overcame her tears.

"I'm sorry I did that…" Violet said. "I'm really sorry…"

"No, sweetheart, it's alrigh'." Jack told her. "We jus' want you to feel better - we want to 'elp you.

Elizabeth got up and went to Violet. "Can I talk to you for a little, Violet?" she asked, taking Violet's hand. Violet nodded and they left the room.

Jack and Will looked at each other, wondering what to do. They took the man's way out and dug into their food.

"Violet, will you tell me something?" Elizabeth asked, leading Violet to the end of the ship.

"Er, I-I suppose so…" Violet replied uneasily.

"Who's Robert Townsend?" Elizabeth asked.

Violet faltered. "Erm…" she paused, thinking. "Er, I don't… really want to… talk about it."

"Violet, please." Elizabeth pressed. "I just want to help you."

Violet furrowed her brow, debating whether to tell her or not… She finally surrendered the information…

"…But please don't tell Jack! Please!" Violet pleaded. "He won't want anything to do with me! Please don't tell him!"

"Violet, I think you underestimate Jack's character-"

"No!" Violet cried. "Please! Please, don't tell him!"

Elizabeth sighed. "Alright, but you have to promise me you'll tell him at some point."

"…I don't _have_ to tell him…"

"Violet, you can't have secrets and mysteries in a relationship." Elizabeth told her. "Jack hardly knows anything about your past - you _have_ to open up to him sometime."

"Yes… but not now." Violet said. She sighed. "Elizabeth… I've never had anything like this… I've never known anyone like Jack before… It's hard for me to handle it. I'm struggling with deciding what to do… No one's ever cared about me like that before…"

"Oh, Violet, that can't be true."

"No one. Ever." Violet stated. Elizabeth looked at her with pity. "I don't want to lose him…"

"You _won't _lose him." Elizabeth assured.

"So, who is 'e?" Jack asked Elizabeth curiously, later that day, while Violet was in her room.

"I can't tell you…" Elizabeth replied hesitantly. "She made me promise."

"What? Fine - if I guess, you 'ave to nod." Jack told her.

"No, I promised - but I made her promise she'd tell you sometime." Elizabeth said. "She's really fragile… She said no one had ever cared about her like you - _no one_… Don't hurt her, Jack. Even when you're not thinking about it, you could hurt her… Don't. Be really careful about what you say - she really is fond of you. Very fond."

Jack nodded. "I won' 'urt 'er. I could never do that. I jus' want to 'elp 'er."

"You should go to her - she's just sitting in her room." she told him.

"Alrigh'. Thanks, Elizabeth." he said and went down to Violet's room. "'ey, sweetheart." he greeted, entering her room. She was lying on her bed, eyes blankly open. She turned her head in his general direction upon hearing him.

"Hi, Jack." she greeted.

"'ow are you doin'?" he asked concernedly.

"I'm fine." she replied. "I'm sorry I spoke out like I did at breakfast…"

"No, darling, you 'ad to get it out - it was good."

"Erm… would you… well… are you busy…?" she hesitated.

"No, free as a sparrow." he joked. She laughed.

"Er, would you read me something?" she asked.

"Sure, love, what?"

"The, er, Shakespeare on my dresser over there. _Romeo and Juliet_. I'm at the climax and I hated to stop reading where I did." she told him.

He went to the dresser and retrieved the book. Without thinking, we went around to the side of her bed and sat down on it. It hit him.

"Oh… can I sit down 'ere?" he asked. "Do you mind?" She shook her head. "Alrigh', then, let's see…" He opened the book and sat back up against the headboard. He grabbed her hand and started to read.

Over the next few days, Jack and Violet were inseparable and passed the time reading and talking. Jack didn't stay in her room again, and was a little distant because he didn't want Violet to go off again. Finally, her vision was returned to her one day - much to her joy.

"The staff!" she cried. "Remember? It was going to tell us where to go!"

Jack and Violet dashed to Jack's room to retrieve the staff. Jack picked it up and examined it. Suddenly, light shot out from the end and numbers shone on the wall.

"Bearin's…" Jack mumbled. "Write them down for me, love, savvy?"

Violet nodded and grabbed a piece of parchment from Jack's desk. She took a quill and ink from a drawer and wrote the bearings down. Jack set the staff down and joined Violet by the desk.

"Where is this, Jack?" Violet asked curiously.

"England." he replied. "…Again. But… hmm… this seems to be a little north of it. Must be an island. Hmm… let's see… It'll be just before winter when we get there… Well… we'll jus' 'ave to prepare, then, eh?"

"What about food and provisions?" Violet asked. "We're almost out. We need money. And we can't steal it, Jack, that's not nice."

He sighed. "Whatever you want, love. We'll go to Tortuga an' get a job in the village jus' outside o' it - it's not as rough as Tortuga an' always needs people to sell things. We'll 'ave to be vendors, basically. I remember last time I was there, they needed people for the job."

"Oh, that's fine!" Violet said happily. "As long as we're being honest."

Jack kissed her forehead, wondering if a pirate was really who should have her heart…

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Don't think Jack's getting to out of character yet. REVIEW!


	6. Conflicts Conflicting

I'm finally updating! YAY! Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed! I have something to talk about with you all, but I'll do it at the end of the chapter! Enjoy!

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CHAPTER 6: Conflicts Conflicting

"Cap'n, we're running low on food and supplies what's your plan?" Gibbs asked Jack the next day.

Jack sighed. "Violet and I talked about that… I told her we'd try to earn it instead of stealin' it…"

"Why the bloody hell did you do that!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"Well… you know Violet…" Jack said regretfully. "'ow could I say no? She 'ates dishonesty an' all."

"Cap'n, with all due respect, I have to bring this to your attention." Gibbs told him. "But you're a _pirate_. Born to be a dishonest man! Violet's a nice girl, but she can't change who you are. You're a real scalawag, Jack, you'd best warn the young missy of it."

"I know, Gibbs, but"

"The crew won't go along with this honest plan you know that." Gibbs pointed out.

"Aye, aye…" Jack replied doggedly.

"So what's your _piracy_ plan?" Gibbs asked.

Jack thought for a moment. He sighed. "Set a course for Ricco Isle. We'll sack the town. Plunder the valuables, raid the food supplies."

"Better tell your girl." Gibbs told him.

"Aye…" Jack replied.

"Tell me what?" Violet asked, coming up behind him. He jumped in surprise.

"Oh, 'ey, sweetheart…" he said uneasily. "Erm, let's go to the dining room to talk, savvy?"

"Sure." she replied sweetly. Oh, what he would give not to have to tell her… They entered the dining room and he shut the door behind them.

"Er… Gibbs an' I were talkin' about our food supply…" he began.

"Oh, I'm so glad you decided to be honest." Violet told him.

He sighed and turned away from her. "Don' make this any 'arder than it is, darling…"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Alrigh', I'm jus' goin' to say it." he stated. "There's no way we can do this the honest way… Walsh stole my treasure, as you know, so we can't jus' buy what we need, an' there's no way the crew will go along with this. We're pirates, love, it's jus' the way things are." He turned back to her; she wasn't showing any emotion. "So, we've decided to go to Ricco Isle and sack the town. We'll plunder all the valuables and raid the food supplies. An' I'm sorry, but a pirate's a pirate." He was rambling and he knew it, but he didn't want to let her answer until he'd said everything possible. "I mean, if you think about it, we're stealing from the government. An'… wha's the government ever done for you?" She didn't reply. "I make it a point not to steal from innocent people. Jus' rich ones… an' the government…"

"Well… if it's the only way…" Violet said meekly. She looked at him and smiled falsely.

"No, Let, it really _is_ the only way."

"…Why did you say otherwise?" she asked.

"Because I want you to smile." he told her. "I want you to be 'appy. It breaks me 'eart when you look sad."

She thought for a moment. "I'm not really sure I deserve you, Jack you're so selfless."

"Oh, sweetheart, don'"

"I love you, Jack. Nothing can change that." she told him, taking his hand. "I'm going to accept whatever you do. You are who you are and I'm not going to try and change you. …Except the drinking. That really is bad."

"I'll work on it." he told her. "But it's not goin' to be easy."

"Just try." she stated. "Try for me." He nodded.

The next day, they docked in the town. Jack had mustered the whole crew on deck for mission briefing.

"Jack, I don't think I'm going to be of much use…" Violet told him, as they waited for everyone to congregate.

"Don' worry, love, jus' stay 'ere." he told her. "An' again… we _'ave_ to do this…"

"I know it's fine."

"Jus', er, stay in your room an' read a nice book or something'." he told her. "Like Shakespeare. You won' be completely alone Anamaria will be up on deck, manning the helm so we can leave right when we get back."

"That's fine." she replied. "I'm used to just… drowning out the world…"

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

"It's all I did when I lived with my parents. Just drowned the world out… It was nice…"

He looked at her with pity. "You don' need to do that now there's nothin' bad 'ere, darling." She nodded. "An' when I get back, you can paint somethin' for me if you want to." He put his forehead to hers. "'ave a big kiss waitin' for me when I get back, savvy?" He hugged her and she hugged him back.

"…Be careful…" He nodded and she went down to her room. She'd finished _Romeo and Juliet_ and had started on _Macbeth_. She picked up the book and lied down on her bed and stared at it's cover. She placed it on the bedside table and turned over on her stomach. She drifted off to sleep.

She opened her eyes and stood up. She went up on deck, looking for Jack. It was dark. She couldn't see anything past the ship. There were torches lighting the ship itself but there was no moon, so it was like there was no outside world.

'I slept too long…' she thought. 'Why didn't Jack wake me up?' She looked around.

"Jack!" she called. She looked up at the helm. "Anamaria!" Suddenly, someone pushed her from behind and she fell over on her face. She yelled in surprise. She scrambled back on her feet and looked around; she saw no one. She started to get nervous and decided to go back downstairs.

The halls were totally empty and no one was answering when she called out. Just before she reached the end of the hall, she heard laughing. She looked around frantically, but saw no one. Suddenly, unseen people started shoving her into walls. She screamed for help, but no one came. Try as she might, she couldn't see anyone at all…

Laughter, laughter, relentlessly cruel laughter…

Finally, it ceased. She fell to the floor, stunned for a moment. She looked out through teary eyes and saw no one. She jumped up, ran to Jack's door, flung it open, hurried inside, and shut the door behind her.

"Jack, are you" She turned around and saw Jack being pinned to the wall by… her parents… "What the…?" Violet mumbled.

"Violet, late as usual." her mother said coldly.

"So, you're a bigger slut than you used to be, are you?" her father asked. She was speechless with shock. "Townsend and now Sparrow? You're really spreading it around."

"Townsend wasn't my fault!" Violet cried. "I told you! I didn't want to!"

"Townsend said otherwise." her mother stated.

"You'd believe Townsend over your own daughter?" Violet asked, hurt.

"You used to lie about everything, Violet." her father told her.

"No!" I _never_ lied to you!" Violet pressed.

"You were always lying and sneaking around behind our backs!" her mother cried. "You weren't 'learning how to read with Mrs. Clak! You were probably off with some boy!"

"No! I _was_ reading!" Violet exclaimed. "You wouldn't teach me and I was already thirteen!"

"You're a chronic liar, Violet." her mother told her. "Anyway, we're here because we won't tolerate this man you're seeing. So we're going to kill him."

"WHAT! NO!" Violet screamed.

"Stay away from him." her father ordered. Violet took a step forward. "Warned you." Her father took out a sword and held it to Jack's throat.

"If you care about me, Violet, you'll let me live." Jack told her.

"Oh, I do care about you, Jack!" she cried. "Please, just let me touch him!" She took another step forward.

"Wrong move, Violet." her father said, and slit Jack's throat. They let him go and he fell to the floor. Violet screamed and ran to him. "We'll never leave you alone now. Leave him or we'll _really_ kill him."

She woke up, gasping loudly. She looked around frantically, sitting up. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Violet cleared her throat.

"Come in!" she called. Jack opened the door and entered the room.

"'ey, darling." he greeted, shutting the door behind him. He sat down next to her on the bed.

"You, erm, you're finished already?" she asked.

"Took us a while, sweetheart, you fall asleep?" he asked, putting an arm around her waist. She nodded. He put his other arm around her and nuzzled her cheek. "So, where's that big kiss I've been waitin' for all day, huh?" The dream still plagued her. She wanted to return the affection she really did, but… she didn't want her parents to come back like they said they would… He kissed the corner of her mouth and she pulled her head away from him. "You're killin' me, love." he said with a smirk, trying to kiss her.

"Jack, don't…"

"Come on, Let…"

"Jack"

"Let…"

"No, stop! I don't want to!" she yelled, breaking free from his grasp; she jumped up.

He looked at her. "I-I'm sorry, sweetheart, I… thought you were jokin'…" She avoided his eyes. She didn't want her parents to come back and she didn't want them to kill Jack… "Erm… I'll jus'… leave you alone, then…" He stood up and started to the door. He started to reach out for her hand, but changed his mind. "Nigh', darling." he bid and left her room.

Violet changed into her nightgown and flopped down onto her bed. What was she going to do? She buried herself in the covers and worried herself to sleep hours later.

Violet woke up the next morning and dressed for the day. She went up on deck, to the dining room. Jack was there, eating breakfast; he looked up at her.

"Mornin', love." he greeted with less enthusiasm than usual.

"Good morning…" she replied guiltily. She sat down next to him and placed some food on her plate. She sighed. She had to say something… "Jack, yesterday… it wasn't your fault. I'm… going through some… stuff right now and I… well, I just wanted you to know that it's not your fault or anything."

"It's alrigh', darling, I understand." he told her. "Erm, we're 'eaded for a small town called Mayanport, we'll be there this evening, most likely. We got to stop for repairs."

"Repairs?" Violet asked. "Like what?"

"Nothin' major, jus' a few things we shouldn' ignore." he replied. "We'll only need to be there for a few hours, but we're goin' to dock there for the nigh' anyway." She nodded.

After a few moments of silence, Violet spoke up. "It really wasn't your fault, Jack…" He looked up at her. "I just… keep remembering my parents and… I realize they're dead, but that… that doesn't mean the memories are…" She didn't look at him, just kept cutting her meat. "I've got a lot of problems, Jack… A lot of mental problems."

"Oh, sweetheart, don' say that." Jack told her.

"It's true." she said. "I just want to make sure you know… I mean, I'm not really worth all that much…"

"Don' say that." he scolded. "Tha's a lie. You don' know 'ow much you're worth, love." She sighed and went back to her breakfast.

That night, they'd gotten repairs done and everyone had gone to bed; everyone except Violet. She stood staring out her window, wondering what to do.

'Alright…' she thought, 'I can leave tonight and be rid of my parents forever and Jack will be safe… or… I can… well… evade him for three months until we get to England…' She sighed and made up her mind. There was no way she could stay away from him for three months… She had to leave. Then. That night.

She packed all her things and went up on deck. She looked around for anyone and spotted nobody.

'The gangplank…' she thought. 'Bugger…' The gangplank had been taken up for the night. It was lying next to the mast. She would have to put it in place herself…

She put her bags down and went to the plank. She heaved it up and dragged it over to the edge of the ship. This wasn't going to be easy… She pushed the plank over the side of the ship and used all her strength to keep it from falling into the water. She didn't accomplish this as quietly as she would've liked, unfortunately. She picked up her bags and left the ship. She decided not to look back. She was just going to keep walking. No matter what, just keep walking. Suddenly…

"Violet!" Jack yelled, running up behind her. He grabbed her arm and she stopped. "What are you doin'!"

"Leaving." she replied.

"Why!" he cried.

"Because."

"Look at me." he told her. She dropped her bags and looked at him. "Now, why?"

She sighed. "It was a bad idea… to get involved with me… I can't handle it… I never could do anything right and I never will…"

"That's people from Sunset Villa talking, Violet, not you!" he retorted.

"They were right, then." she stated. "…I needed something in my life, but it's not worth ruining yours."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Sometimes in life, it gets to the point where words just aren't comforting enough… Like the one person in my life who was ever nice to me… Mrs. Clak… she kept telling me to keep going because things would get better, but… it hurt so much to go on alone."

"Tha's why you're goin' to stay with me!" he pressed.

"No… No, it's bad for you…"

"You think _you're _bad for _me_!" he exclaimed. "Look at all the things I've done! Drinkin', lyin', stealin'! _I'm_ bad for _you_! But… I need you, Let. Don' leave, please."

"I'm poison to your life, Jack! That's all I am!" she cried.

"We can 'elp each other, sweetheart! Give this another chance!" he pressed.

"No, I think I need to go." she said.

"I can't let you." he told her.

"Why?"

"…Because… I love you."

She paused. Tears started to form in her eyes and she turned from him. He placed his hand on her shoulder. She looked back at him angrily.

"Why did you have to say that!" she yelled. "No one's ever said that to me before! Why did you have to say it!"

"Because it's true!" he exclaimed. She fell to her knees and he knelt next to her. She looked up at him desperately.

"I love you, too, Jack! That's the problem!" she cried. She slammed her fist into the ground. "As long as you never said it to me, I could leave! But I can't even do that now! I _have_ to stay!"

"Sweetheart, if you don' want to stay, you don' 'ave to." he reasoned.

"I want to so badly!" she sobbed. "But I can't! But… I have to! I can't but… have to!" She held her head and fell into Jack's arms. "They told me I can't! But I really have to! They won't let me!"

"…Who?" Jack asked worriedly.

"My parents! They came and they told me that I had to leave!"

He looked down at her with the utmost concern. "Darling, I'm worried about you… You were dreamin'… your parents are dead…"

"Well, they were there!" she sobbed. "They said if I stay with you, they'll keep coming back and never leave me alone and then they'll kill you!"

"Violet, you're jus' tired…" he told her. "Your parents are gone for good. Come back to the Pearl and you can catch up on your sleep."

"I'm not tired, Jack!" she cried. "I sleep all the time! Dreams are my escape from life it's all I ever do lately!"

"Fine then, you're not spendin' enough time with me!" he pressed. "Every wakin' moment, sweetheart you're mine from now on." She thought for a moment. "Please, darling! No one loves you as much as I do!" He kissed her gently. She stared at him. After a moment, she responded.

"Alright…" she agreed wearily, sniffling. "Alright, fine… but if they don't go away, I'm leaving."

"Fine." Jack replied. "Make you a promise. If they ever come to you no matter when, any time o' the day or night you'll run to me, savvy? If they still don' go away, I'll kill them for you."

She looked up at him hopefully. "You will?" she asked, eyes alight. He nodded. She smiled and hugged him. "Okay, Jack. I trust you. I'll tell them that if they come back. I'll tell them you'll kill them."

"Come on, love." he said, standing up. He took her hand and helped her up. They both grabbed her bags and boarded the Pearl.

They set sail for England the next day and docked three months later at the bearings that they had headed for. It was a small island off the west coast. It was the dead of winter when they docked, so they had to dress very warmly. Jack bundled up and so did Violet, wearing pants and a loose white shirt under an extremely thick coat.

Jack and Violet rowed ashore, Jack carrying the staff. The moment they set foot on the island, the staff sent out a beam of light, pointing them north. They followed it and came to a shallow snow blanketed valley with a large rock in the center of it. There was a stone-lined trail leading to the rock. They exchanged glances it seemed so simple. They shrugged and made their way down the trail, over to the rock. There were numbers carved into it.

"More bearings." Jack mumbled. He repeated them over and over again in his head and memorized them. "Alrigh', well, let's 'ead back to the Pearl I'm freezin'!"

Suddenly, the ground began to move… No, not the ground… There was something buried under the snow… People… Or… zombies… stood up from under the snow and shuffled toward them.

"What the!" Jack exclaimed, pulling out his sword. The zombies moaned and headed for them. Violet took out two of her pistols and held them up. Jack charged into the group and cut off several limbs of the zombies, but it didn't faze them. Finally, he beheaded one and realized that was the key. "The 'eads, Let, go for the 'eads!"

"R-right!" she stuttered. She aimed carefully and hit two of them in the head. She fired off the rest of her shots and Jack was beheading like crazy, but still more came. They were able to make their way through the zombies unscathed, running at top speed. Suddenly, Violet slipped and fell over backward. Turned out they were running on a frozen pond. The ice cracked and Violet nearly fell into the water. The back of her coat got soaked; Jack pulled her up as quickly as he could.

"Take the coat off!" he warned. "Hurry!"

"Wh-what!"

"Jus' do it!" he pressed. She obeyed and took the coat off and dropped it on the ground. "You can't let yourself get wet you'll freeze. 'ere." He took off his own coat and handed it to her. She reluctantly put it on.

"Jack, what are you going to wear?" she asked.

"That doesn' matter now let's just keep goin'." he said. Just then, as luck would have it, it started snowing. "Oh, no…" And it started snowing harder. "Oh, no…"

"We have to find a cave or something." Violet said.

Jack nodded and they continued on their way. They finally spotted a cave and took refuge in it. He pushed some rocks over to the cave entrance to block out the wind and any zombies that might wander over. They sat down, breathing heavily.

"Jack…" Violet started, worried, "your lips are purple…"

"I'm f-f-fine, sweetheart…" he replied, teeth chattering.

"No you're not." she told him. "We've got to find a way to share this coat."

"It's alrigh', d-darling."

She shook her head. "No, there's got to be some way."

He thought for a moment. "Th-the only way is if if you… well, you you'd 'ave to sit on top o' me an' st-stretch the c-coat around us…"

"That's fine I don't want you to freeze!" she panicked.

He leaned up against the wall and she sat on top of him, pulling the coat around them both. She slipped her arms out of the sleeves and wrapped them around him so he pinned the sleeves to the wall, keeping the coat around them. They put their arms around each other and held on tightly. She looked at him worriedly and kissed him.

"I don't want your lips to be purple." she told him. She put her hand over his mouth. He smiled and hugged her tighter.

About an hour later, they heard voices…

"It's Will and Gibbs!" Jack exclaimed. " Let's go!" They got up and went to the mouth of the cave. Jack shoved the rocks aside and they spotted Will and Gibbs. The snow had let up. "'EY! OVER 'ERE!" They saw Jack and Violet and hurried to them.

"Jack, where's your coat?" Will asked, a little panicked.

"Long story, mate." Jack replied. "Come on, let's get back to the Pearl."

They returned to the ship just as Jack lost all his energy. They took him to his room and he got into bed; they piled blankets on top of him. He insisted he was fine, but needed rest, so they left him to sleep, but Violet stayed.

"Are you sure you're alright, Jack?" she asked worriedly.

"Aye, love, I'm alrigh'." he replied, still shivering.

"Good… I was really scared…"

"Well, everythin's fine now, sweetheart nothin' to worry about." he said. She nodded and lied down next to him on top of all the blanket layers. She put her arm over him.

"I love you, Jack…" she told him.

"I love you, too, Violet." he replied and they both drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Aww. Cuteness.

Okay, anyway, several people have pointed out how the first chapter is really inaccurate because of the art gallery thing. I want to say that I really just had to get the idea out somehow, and it HAD to be done that way - at some sort of job thingy. My friend suggested that perhaps I could change it to her working at a theater doing costumes or something like that because it HAS to be a job. Several situations (like the gallery thing) are based on stuff that happened to me that I was mad about and had to exert somehow. I vent my life in my fanfics, so yeah. Anyway, what happened in real life didnt happen about an art gallery but was equally as frustrating. But yes, so I would much appreciate any suggestions for me possibly changing it. (The rest of this is in regards to La Sorelli's review) Secondly,I did describe Violet's character in the first sentance. Yes, I did. One of my writerfriends suggested I do it because she thought it would be good to know exactly what the character looks like and get a clear picture of her before we go off adventuring with her. Just an idea I thought I'd try. Thirdly, the hostage thing. Not all the people there even know who the heck she is. A lot of people live uptown and are really rich, so they couldn't be sure whether this was a poor girl or the daughter of someone who could eat those gems for breakfast they are so rich. So that's that sorted out. Fourthly (is that a word?), about Violet's character. I wanted to make absolute SURE that she was timid and shy and quiet. I was aiming to show how anyone can build a life for themselves and be someone. Because of her past, Violet can't possibly be any other way. We find more out about her tragic past in later chapters (I think it's in the next one, actually!). The character is based on, well, because I base some of this fic after stuff that happens in my life, it's pretty much based on me when I've got no one to talk to... like in math class! Well, not anymore cuz I got moved to a table with a bunch of very nice people who are cool! But I am seriously digressing. Sorry about that. Anyway, it's like... the person who struggles to stand up for themselves... I don't exactly know how to explain it. We'll see more about what Violet makes of herself and the problems she has to sort through to get there later.

Thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed! I always appriciate any feedback! As long as it's nice/constructive! Thanks, guys!

PLEASE REVIEW!


	7. Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Hello, all! Forever since I updated, yeah! But I'm out of high school forever! Thank goodness! "Now, to business!" "TO BUSINESS!" "Shh!" "Sorry..." Whoops, Hitchhiker's Guide moment there... Anyway, THANK YOU TO ALL MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS AND FRIENDS! And thanks, Kim, for always inspiring me and giving me a lot of emotional support! I always complain to youabout my lifeand you just remain extremely awesome! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! hug I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!

**WARNING**: Danger, Will Robinson! Alright... ahead is... a bit of sexual content and...a lot of pretty bad language, so... be forewarned! But IT'S ALL IN CHARACTER! So it fits the story and stuff. Sorry to those of you who really dont like it because those of you who know me know I really dont like it either, but i cant control my characters, they are who they are! deep breath So please dont be turned off by this, just know it's there. Domo!

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CHAPTER 7: OUT OF THE FRYING PAN AND INTO THE FIRE

They made their way to the newest coordinates, which, luckily, was in the Caribbean this time. One night, Violet had a very strange dream. She dreamt that they had docked on an island and gone ashore. They'd come to a large hedge maze and they entered it. It was all so quick and blurry, so vague… Suddenly, something happened. Something happened to Elizabeth. She couldn't see what happened, but she knew something did… Something -- she woke up.

She didn't know what to make of the dream, but anyway, it was just a dream. Jack and Violet had been getting closer all the while they sailed back to the Caribbean. But two days before they arrived on the island, something happened between them that uncovered a lot about Violet's past…

"Do you love me, sweetheart?" he asked, putting his arms around her. It was in the evening hours and they were in Jack's room.

"Of course I do." she replied.

"Good." he said. "Because you know 'ow much I love you, too." She smiled and nodded and he kissed her. She usually had avoided standing anywhere near Jack's bed because she felt awkward, but this time she realized she must've been being paranoid -- Jack had never tried to do anything like that…

He lied down, pulling her on top of him and kissed her again. She started to panic. He kissed her neck and pushed the sleeve off her shoulder. She continued to panic; her breathing quickened and she started to try and squirm out of his grip, but to no avail. Finally, she lost it -- she screamed at the top of her lungs and fought her way out of his arms. He grabbed her arms, trying to calm her down, but it didn't help matters. She screamed at the top of her lungs again and violently struggled to escape. In her struggle, she hit him in the face (she didn't mean to, but when you struggle, you don't have a lot of control over what you do). She flung herself away from him and fell to the floor with a thud. She scrambled to the corner of the room, sobbing.

He sat there, stunned. What had he done wrong? Well, he did almost… But why did she react that radically?

He got up and went over to her. He knelt down and gently placed a hand on her shoulder but she shoved it off. He sat and waited for her to calm down a little before doing anything.

"Darling… what 'appened to you?" he asked concernedly. She continued sobbing. "Why are you actin' like this?" She didn't reply, just kept sobbing. He took her hands in his. "Love, answer me." he said firmly. She looked up at him and saw the sincere worry in his eyes. She sniffled. "Why can't you trust me?"

"B-because every time I trust someone, I get hurt! Every time I get close to people, they really hurt me!" she cried. "Always! That's the way it's always been! Every time! _That's_ what alcohol does, Jack! _That's_ what it did to my parents! My father was drunk and beat my mother until he killed her! He then picked up his gun and shot himself in the head! If I hadn't been hiding under the bed, I probably would've been killed, too!"

"…Oh, love, I'm so sorry…" he said, rather shocked.

"There's a lot wrong with me, Jack, a _lot_ wrong!" she cried. "I'm just… lost inside… just lost… I thought I could get over it, but I was can't! Don't try to get involved with me, there's too much wrong!"

"Darling, I'll 'elp you get through whatever you need to get through -- I couldn' jus' leave you alone." he told her. "Especially after what I just 'eard. Those days are gone, sweetheart, you were so young…"

"Do you know when that was, Jack? When my parents died? Of course they never stopped hitting me until they were gone… Do you know when that was?" He shook his head. "_Three years ago, Jack_! _Three years_!"

His heart broke. "Three years…?" he asked quietly. "Oh, Let, I'm _so _sorry…" He was close to tears. "Whatever you need… I'll 'elp you get through it. You _can_, Let, I _know_ you can. You're so strong… I promise I'll 'elp you."

"It's not worth it! _I'm_ not worth it!"

"Rubbish." he dismissed.

"I want to tell you more." she stated, sniffling.

"Good." he replied. "Good. You need to get it out."

She sniffled. "Remember how I told you that I was weak in my left arm?" He nodded. "It's because my father, drunk of course, decided that I was being annoying. Since getting a drink of water from the kitchen is so annoying, apparently." So that was why she never left her room at night… It fit now… But what next? "So, to keep me from being annoying, he thought it would be a good idea to keep me from leaving my room. He dragged me in there, put my arm on the bedside table… pulled out a knife… and stabbed me… pinning my forearm to the table… It took me so long to get it free… It hurt so bad… All I could do was wrap it up in a pillowcase…" Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. He honestly would've been in tears if it wasn't so important to stay stable for her. "Later, after I got older, I kept regretting that he didn't hit a major vein… He could've killed me, but that bloody idiot didn't!"

"I'm so… so sorry…" he whispered, unable to speak.

"I… promised I'd tell you about… Robert Townsend… I might as well tell you now…" she sniffled.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don' 'ave to if you don' want to." he told her, getting his voice back.

"No, I promised." she stated, calming herself a little. "Well, my parents wanted me out of the house as soon possible… so they decided to have someone court me… Of course, they picked a horrible person like Townsend… He was older than I was and had his own house… He invited me over for dinner and… apparently wasn't planning on eating…"

"…Did he…?"

Violet nodded, tears welling in her eyes again. "I was only sixteen… and he hurt me a lot… I told my parents even though I knew what they'd say… They yelled at me and said that I was lying and making excuses just because they picked him for me… Well… Townsend figured I would tell someone, so he came over the next day and talked to my parents… He said that it was _my _fault and… they believed him… I really got beaten for that one… So that's why I… didn't like being touched… Because I was scared it would happen again…"

"Oh, darling… so much 'as 'appened to you… You of all people don' deserve to 'ave any o' that 'appen to you… No matter what I do, I can never change what 'appened, but… you can rely on me." he sighed. "Violet, you know I'd never 'urt you. Ever. My arms is the one place you'll never be 'urt. I'm sorry -- I was goin' too fast… You're jus' so beautiful… I won' do it again, I promise. I won' 'urt you, love -- you know I never would." She looked up at him and sniffled (she still blushed a bit from being called beautiful). He smiled encouragingly and placed a hand on her cheek. She smiled a little and he kissed her gently. "I'll always take care o' you, darling -- you 'ave the word of a pirate."

By the time they reached the Caribbean, Violet and Jack had seemed to get a little closer, but there was still a level of awkwardness. They eventually docked on an island that was very forested. Jack, Violet, Will, and Elizabeth went ashore to look around. After walking for a little while through the tall green trees, they came upon what looked like a hedge maze… Violet's dream… The hedge maze… there was a sign at the entrance that read:

"Ye who finds a way to the center, shall be truly worthy of a fine reward. Ye shall be shown the way to the final pieces of the puzzle."

"Well, looks like we're almost there…" Jack said. "Jus' got to get through this maze thing, I suppose."

"I suppose so…" Will agreed. "There's something… ominous about it… Gives me a bad feeling…" He looked up at it warily, and turned to Elizabeth. "I don't want you to come with us."

"What?" Elizabeth asked. "I can take perfectly good care of myself -- you worry too much, Will." Violet had also been gazing warily up at the maze. She felt a little queasy.

"No, Elizabeth, I really don't think you should go either." Violet injected.

"Violet, you and Will…" Elizabeth sighed. "You both worry too much."

"I-I may just be being paranoid, but…" Violet trailed off and sighed. Will and Elizabeth started into the maze.

"You alrigh', sweetheart?" Jack asked, going to her side and putting an arm around her waist.

She nodded. "I just…"

"What?"

"Well, a little while ago, I dreamt about this… and… Elizabeth got hurt… I don't remember how, but she got hurt…" Violet told him. "But… I suppose I _am_ just being paranoid…"

"Aye, it should be fine. Jus' a dream, nothin' more." he dismissed. She nodded uneasily, and they entered the maze.

They walked slowly though it, coming to many turns along the way. They hoped they were going in the right direction, but honestly had no idea. They heard scratching and other strange sounds on their way through, but saw nothing…

"Arr!" Jack exclaimed in frustration. "This is rubbish! We don' know where the bloody hell we're goin'!"

"Well, all we can do is keep walking." Will said. "Can you think of a better idea?"

"O' course I can." Jack replied arrogantly, unsheathing his sword. He started to cut through the hedges, but it was too thick -- he couldn't even dent it.

"Of course you can." Elizabeth mocked. He glared at her.

"Let's just keep going." Violet suggested. "We'll get out sometime." They agreed and continued on.

After a few minutes, the scratching and other sounds started to get louder. Suddenly, something flew from one hedge and darted into the other. They all looked around, disoriented and confused. Violet edged closer to Jack. They glanced around warily, listening closely to who-knows-what…

All of a sudden, a humongous bird flew from the hedges and swooped down on them. They ducked quickly to the ground, but the bird picked up Elizabeth in its talons and flapped its wings vigorously to gain altitude. Will yelled in panic and Violet thought quickly. Just as Elizabeth screamed "DO SOMETHING!" Violet pulled out a pistol, aimed, and fired. The bird squawked loudly and Elizabeth fell to the ground with a thud. The bird pathetically flapped higher into the air until it ultimately fell and landed on the top of one of the hedges.

Will ran to Elizabeth and knelt down next to her.

"Are you alright!" Will asked urgently.

"No, I… I think I broke my arm…" Elizabeth replied, wincing. Will glanced around in worry and helped her up.

"Jack, we have to get back to the ship." Will stated.

"Alrigh', well, why don' you both go back an' Let an' I will go on ahead?" Jack suggested. "You should be able to find your way back… we must've left some kind o' trail."

"Yeah, alright." Will agreed. "Come on, Elizabeth." They turned and made their way back to the ship.

"That was a nice shot, by the way." Jack told Violet as they continued on through the maze.

"Thanks." she replied. "I hope Elizabeth is alright…"

"She should be fine -- Gibbs an' Anamaria can 'eal anythin'." he said.

"I hope so." Violet added.

After a while of walking, they started to get frustrated. Violet sighed in annoyance.

"Jack, where are we going?" she asked.

"We've got to get to the center sometime…" he told her. "You know… why don' I jus' lift you up an' you can look around for the path we need to take? Wouldn' that make sense?"

"Yes, I suppose so." she replied. He lifted her up to where her head just peeked over the hedge. Before she could see anything, though, another huge bird flew out of a hedge and bolted through the air straight at Violet. She yelled in fright as it jetted past her face, grazing her cheek with its talons. She lost her balance and fell over; so did Jack. Luckily, though, she didn't fall to the ground, Jack broke her fall. Violet quickly pulled out a pistol and pointed it blindly at the sky. The bird had flown out of sight, but Violet remained unmoving, pistol aimed. After a moment of holding breath and awaiting disaster, they realized the bird had gone. Or, at least it wasn't attacking or flying now. Finally, Jack cleared his throat.

"I think we can go now." he said.

"Oh, right." Violet replied, getting up. "Sorry about that."

"No worries, love." he dismissed, getting up as well. "Come on, I suppose someone doesn' want us cheatin' our way through 'ere."

They continued on and finally came to the center where there was a large marble pedestal. On the front, words were engraved: _Solve the riddle, speak the password._

"Riddle?" Violet asked. "What riddle?"

Jack went to inspect it more closely and found something. He flagged Violet over and they gazed down at the top of the pedestal. The letters HOROBOD were engraved on it.

"Horobod?" Jack said. "What's a horobod?"

"Well, this must be the riddle…" Violet mumbled. They stared at it, racking their brains for an answer.

"Horobod… HoRObod… HoroBOD…" Jack muttered.

"No, I don't think it's a word…" she told him. "Books, books… I'm sure I've read something in a book…"

"Are books the answer to everythin'?" Jack asked.

"Well… yes." she replied. "And I've read so many…"

"Horobod…" he mumbled, thinking.

After a few minutes, Violet got it. "Oh! That's it! Jack, that's it!"

"What!" he exclaimed, a little startled from her outburst.

"I _knew_ it was in a book somewhere! I've read books about him!" she continued. "It's _not_ a word! Look." She placed her hands over the HO and the OD.

"Rob." he concluded. She then put her hand over the ROB. "…Hood." She grinned. He still didn't get it.

"You see how the ROB is in HOOD? Rob-in-hood. Robin Hood." she stated happily.

"Hey! That's clever!" he exclaimed. "Shiver me timbers, you're smart…"

Just then, the front of the pedestal fell off. They bent over and peered inside it and saw what looked like… a very tiny human… it was about the size of Violet's hand, she guessed. The person was lying down on its side, away from them. After a moment, it turned over and yawned. Well, it was a woman, but… what was she? She blinked her eyes open and stood up, yawning. She stretched and looked around tiredly. Violet and Jack just watched in amazement. She had long pink hair and pink eyes.

"Oh!" the woman exclaimed. "Well, hello!"

"H-hi…" Jack stuttered, a little stunned at this sight.

"What'sa matter? Never seen a faerie before?" she asked.

"I-I've read about them… but…" Violet said, but trailed off.

"Not many of us left, I guess." the faerie stated. "Here, let me get out of here! I've been cooped in here for… hundreds of years! Nothing to do but watch people." Suddenly, wings appeared on her back. They were translucent blue and emitted a faint glow. When she moved, sparkles fell from the wings. Jack and Violet moved back and the faerie flew up to the top of the pedestal and stood there, looking up at them.

"Erm, 'watch people' you said? What does that mean?" Violet asked. "You were… trapped in there, right?"

"Well, yes, but I can see outside…" the faerie struggled to explain. "Erm… it's like… er… kind of a psychic thing…"

"Psychic! Should we be worried about that?" Jack asked, taking a step back.

"…Not psychotic, you fool, _psychic_." the faerie sighed.

"Oh." Jack said.

"Psychic as in I can see things that are going on outside, inside my mind." the faerie explained exasperatedly. "By the way, my name is Hex Icefly -- nice to meet you."

"This is extraordinary…" Violet muttered, smiling with joy and wonder. "Erm… I'm Violet Amourdoux…"

"I know." Hex said.

"Oh… right… psychic…" Violet recalled.

"Yep." Hex concluded. "So, let's go, then."

"What?" Jack asked.

"I'm coming with you. So I can tell you where to go and help you find the next clue." Hex told him.

"Oh… this is odd…" Jack said, a little freaked out. Just then, he noticed something. He bent down and behind where Hex had been sleeping, was a huge sapphire. His eyes widened and he grabbed it. "Please say this is the spoils o' our plight to get 'ere."

"Sure, you can have it. Come on, let's not waste time." Hex ushered. "You lead the way, I'll follow."

Jack was so happy that he finally got something out of this crazy journey, he wanted to jump up and down in joy, but didn't, feeling that wasn't a very manly thing to do. He stuffed the gem in his pocket and cleared his throat. "Erm… I doubt we can get back through that maze again…" Jack told her.

"Well, I can fly, can't I?" Hex replied. "I'll help."

They made it back to the ship and immediately went to check on Elizabeth. She was doing fine, but she _had _broken her arm. Jack and Violet headed up Will and Elizabeth about what was going on with Hex and all.

"So where are we 'eaded now?" Jack asked.

"Hmm… let's see…" Hex said, thinking hard. "Well, I see a place… very… wow… hmm… There's lots of pirates here… and other outlaws… and lots of rum and lots of whores… Oh, this is disgusting." She continued thinking, and flew over to Jack, sitting on his shoulder. "EUGH!" she exclaimed, darting away from him. "Looks like you have a bit of a past in this place." she told him. "Five… eight… how many women…? My goodness! …Oh, my…" She blushed. "Names are coming to mind… Giselle… Scarlet… Ginger… Carla… Cherry--"

"I know the place." Jack interrupted, sounding a little ashamed. "Tortuga."

"Well, that's where we need to go, then!" Hex exclaimed happily. "It's just outside of that town." Jack guiltily glanced over at Violet, but she didn't seem to be daunted, so he returned his gaze to Hex.

They set a course for Tortuga and set sail that day. Jack and Violet had talked about her precognitive dream, but could come up with nothing other than "what a coincidence." So they brushed it off and went on with life.

Later, Violet and Jack sat, leaning up against the mast, watching the sun set; Jack had an arm around her and she was resting her head on his chest.

"The sunset is so gorgeous…" Violet sighed.

"Ah, it's nothin' compared to you, love." he told her. She smiled. "You're so beautiful…"

"…One day… when I was really little… I was walking through town and I… came across this shop…" Violet said. "It had the most beautiful things I'd ever seen. Jewels and metals of all sorts, but… nothing so beautiful as this… diamond necklace… The stone was shaped like a heart and it was set in silver on a silver chain… …It was so beautiful… and it was the best memory of my childhood… Just looking at it…"

"Someday, Let, I'll buy you the entire Caribbean an' you can 'ave anythin' you want." Jack told her.

She shook her head. "No, I couldn't ask for anything more than just you. I'm blessed enough already." He smiled and kissed her gently.

Violet's dreams didn't stop, unfortunately. They weren't necessarily precognitive, but they were dreams nonetheless. Most people went to sleep and woke up, not remembering their dreams, or at least, they didn't seem to matter much. But with Violet, most every dream meant something, she just didn't know that. She always remembered them, but most she did her best to forget. However, the night before they docked in Tortuga, Violet dreamt again, this one bothered her quite a lot.

Violet blinked her eyes open and looked around. She suddenly realized she wasn't wearing anything. She quickly grabbed a sheet nearby and covered herself with it. She got up and opened her closet to find something to wear, but it was empty. She pulled the sheet tightly around her and cautiously left her room. She went to Jack's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Jack called. Violet opened the door and entered the room. Jack was sitting at his desk and Anamaria was standing next to him; they were studying a map. "'ey, Let." he greeted happily.

"Hi…" she replied uneasily. Anamaria pointed at something on the map, placing her finger on it.

"That's exactly where we'll be." Anamaria said. "Well, anyway, I'll get back on deck." She nodded at Violet and left. Jack got up and went to her.

"'ow are you today, sweetheart?" he asked.

"Er… I-I can't find any of my clothes…" she told him, embarrassed.

"Oh, tha's alrigh', love. You look perfectly fine without them." he replied casually.

"…What?"

"So, are you hungry?" he asked as though he hadn't heard her.

"N-not really." she told him, sitting down on his bed.

"Alrigh'." he said, sitting down next to her, and putting an arm around her waist. His hand made black goo ooze down her side. She furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Jack, what is this stuff?" she asked, looking down at it, and pushing his hand away from her.

"What stuff?"

"This black stuff." she told him.

"I don' see anythin'." he replied. She looked down at the goo warily. "I'm worried about you, darling, you keep seein' things." He replaced his hand on her waist and put a hand on her cheek; black goo oozed down her face. She tried to recoil, but he held onto her. "I jus' want you to be alrigh'." Finally, he kissed her. Black goo filled her mouth and oozed out of the corners of it. She flailed and pushed him away. He looked at her sadly. Suddenly, the black goo flowed from her mouth down her body until she was completely drenched in it. She screamed, gurgling through the goo -- and woke up with a jolt.

She gasped in shock and looked around the room. She placed a hand on her mouth and realized it had just been a dream. She sighed in relief and looked around the room. Hex had been rooming with her, sleeping on top of her dresser on a pillow. Apparently, she was a fairly light sleeper and was awakened by Violet's panic. She sat up and looked over at her.

"You alright, Violet?" Hex asked.

"Erm… yeah…" Violet replied. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Meh, who needs sleep?" Hex said. She got up and flew over to Violet. "So what happened? Nightmare?" Violet nodded. "You know, dreams mean a lot. I heard about that dream before you got to the island… about Elizabeth. I think you have a bit of a gift."

"I-it was just a dream -- nothing more." Violet stated. "This couldn't happen in real life."

"It doesn't matter. Dreams are symbolic." Hex pressed. "So can I see it?"

"…What?" Violet asked, confused.

"The dream. Psychic, remember?" Hex said. "All I have to do is touch you."

"Er… okay…" Violet hesitated. She held out her hand to Hex and she placed her tiny hand on it. After a few moments, Hex removed her hand with a furrowed brow.

"Someone is going to hurt you." Hex stated. "I'm sorry, but that's… what I get from that dream… I… could be wrong… It seems, though… like… that person is… going to be Jack…"

"…No." Violet told her. "No, he wouldn't."

"…Yeah… I suppose I… could be wrong." Hex said. "Yeah. Well, I'm, er… off to bed again. Sleep well!"

"Night." Violet bid, lying back down.

They docked in Tortuga and decided to take a bit of a break. After all, the crew hadn't been to Tortuga in ages. So, Jack said they would take about a week off before going to do anything. Every night, Jack went out somewhere and stayed out pretty late. He usually came back drunk or nearly there. Violet didn't really care because he could be a lot worse things than drunk -- besides, she was used to it…

One night, Violet was walking to her room when she heard people arguing down the hall. She went to see what was going on and realized it was coming from Jack's room. She quietly made her way to his door and pressed her ear to it.

"What do you think you're doing!" Anamaria hissed to Jack. "You're going to screw up the best thing that's ever happened to you!"

"You don' understand…"

"I understand fine!" she exclaimed. "You're such a sleeze sometimes! Honestly! What is wrong with you!" Violet furrowed her brow in confusion.

"Anamaria… I'm…" Jack hesitated. "Look, it's not my fault, alrigh'? I…'ave my needs…" Violet didn't really understand what he meant, but kept listening anyway.

"You're such a fucking bastard, Jack!" Anamaria yelled angrily. Violet flinched at the language, but couldn't say she wasn't used to it from her parents. Still, language is never an okay thing.

"Shiver me timbers, Anamaria, you're so full o' shit!" Jack argued. Violet had never heard such harsh language from _Jack _before… "You're a hypocrite, you know that? What, like you never do this!"

"With me, it's completely different!" she cried. "I don't have what you have! If I did, you could be sure as hell I wouldn't go throwing it away like an idiot! You're such an ass!" Apparently, when pirates get really angry, language just flies everywhere. Not pretty.

"You shut up -- now!" Jack ordered. "You can't talk to your captain like this!"

"I'm not talking to you as a _captain_, I'm talking to you as a _friend_!" she pressed. "You got to stop this!"

"I will." he stated. "When we leave…"

"When we leave!" she exclaimed. "No, you got to stop this _now_! This isn't going to turn out well! Something seriously bad is going to happen!"

"You know what, Anamaria," Jack began, faking calm, "I would really, sincerely appreciate it if you would stay the _hell_ out o' my business and keep the _fuck_ out o' my personal life, savvy?"

"Whatever, Jack." Anamaria replied, annoyed. "You're going to be sorry for what you're doing."

Jack faltered. "You're… you're not goin' to say anythin', are you?"

"If I did, I would be accomplishing the exact opposite of what I'm trying to get across to you right now." she said angrily. "Of _course_ I'm not!"

"Well… good…" he told her. "So… stay out o' it… don' be such a bitch."

Anamaria sighed, irritated, and made her way towards the door. Violet quickly, quietly made her way to her room and went inside.

"I'll pray for you, Jack -- you're going to need it." Anamaria said angrily, and left the room.

Violet sat down on her bed, wondering what that could have been about. She brushed it off, but it still bothered her a little.

A few nights later, Violet started to grow pretty lonely. She'd gotten really close with Anamaria because she would be the only one there during the day besides Hex. Anamaria would always spend time with Violet when Jack couldn't be there. Violet wondered why Anamaria was being so nice, but didn't say anything about it. Finally, Violet decided to go and find Jack. She hadn't been into the town at all, maybe she'd have a good time.

"Where's Jack?" Violet asked Gibbs, coming up on deck.

"He went into town, Miss Violet." he replied. "I wouldn't suggest looking for him -- it's a big town."

"Well, he would be at the pub, wouldn't he?" she asked. "I can find that."

"Er, aye, but… I just wouldn't suggest it." he told her.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Well… I don't… I don't know, just… don't go."

"Well, I'd like to be with Jack -- thank you for your time." she said. She left the ship. She walked through town, dodging drunken people and keeping a sharp eye out for a pub. Finally, she found one. _The Faithful Bride_… Looked like a pub and an inn. Well, the name didn't sound so bad. She walked in and went up to the desk. Just beyond it was a bar and many drunks staggering around and getting into fights.

"Er, excuse me." Violet said to the man behind the desk. He was turned around, looking at some women at the bar. He turned around. "Hello, er, have you seen Captain Jack Sparrow around here anywhere?"

The man looked her over. "Must be dessert."

"Pardon me…?"

He laughed. "Sure, like no one knows. Anyway, he's upstairs -- second door on the right."

"Thank you, sir." Violet said, and went up the stairs. She placed her hand on the doorknob and heard Jack laughing.

"I can't stay much longer -- I got to get back to me ship." he laughed.

Violet figured he was just talking to some fellow pirates or something and opened the door slowly because she didn't want to rudely disturb anyone. It was a normal inn room with a table and chairs and a bed--

She laid her eyes upon a sight she never thought she'd see… Jack was with another woman… He was lying on top of a blonde woman, kissing her chest (luckily they were covered with a sheet!). They didn't notice Violet because she came in so quietly.

"You have to get back to your girlfriend?" the woman asked. "I'll bet she can't do what I just did."

"Ah, you charge too much, Ginger -- you're robbin' me 'ere." he said, placing a line of kisses down her front.

Violet stood in shock, horrified. She wanted to say something, but words couldn't come. Her voice had been stolen away.

"You can't say I didn't earn every shilling, though, can you?" Ginger asked. He laughed. "For old times sake, what say we go again? On the house. It won't take long if you don't want it to…"

"No, sweetheart, I got to get back." he told her.

"Are you sure? You know you won't be sorry." she said, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Temptin' as it is -- an' believe me, it is -- I got to go. I 'ave to." he replied.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" she asked.

"We'll see." he told her.

"Ohh, come on, just really quick! No charge!" she pressed.

"Oh… alrigh' -- really quick, though." Jack agreed.

Violet couldn't move. This wasn't her Jack… This wasn't the man she loved… He told her that he loved her… He told her he had eyes for no one else… This wasn't Jack… This was someone else… It had to be… Tears started to form in her eyes. She wanted to run back to the Pearl, but she was paralyzed.

He kissed Ginger's neck and she tilted her head back and looked over; she saw Violet.

"Excuse me! We're busy here!" Ginger yelled. Jack looked up and his eyes widened. He jumped up and threw his pants on while Ginger pulled the sheet around her.

"Violet, this -- this isn't…" he stuttered, panicking. Violet just stood there in tears. "Look, there's -- please…"

Finally she was able to move. She turned and rushed out. She was dizzy and her vision was blurred by shock and tears. Jack quickly dressed and grabbed his effects. He threw some money at Ginger and sprinted out, chasing after Violet. He finally caught up with her and grabbed her arm. She looked up at him, teary eyed.

"Violet, please… it's not…"

"It's not what?" she asked, crying. "It was what it was -- you can't lie out of this one. I saw much more than I needed to realize what the situation was…"

"No, it's--"

"What can't I give you?" she asked, heartbroken. "…What can't I give you?"

"Let, please, it's not that you can't…" he trailed off, at a loss of words.

She couldn't look at him. She wrenched her arm from his grip and ran as fast as she could back to the Pearl. He was right behind her the whole time and finally caught her again when they got on deck. He grabbed her by the arm again and she looked at him.

"Look, Jack, I know I'm not good enough for you, but I'm trying so hard to be better!" she told him, sobbing. "I'm working on everything!"

"Violet--"

"I know I cry too much, I know I don't kiss that well, I know I can't do what that girl did, I know I'm not strong, I know I'm not all that brave! I know! I'm doing everything I can to make myself better -- for _you_!"

"Violet, stop it!" he yelled. She stifled, but more tears flowed from her eyes, seeing as how she hated to be yelled at so much. "Stop sayin' things like that! You should never change for anyone! 'specially me! The only time people should change is when they're gettin' rid o' a bad habit or somethin'! _Never_ for anythin' else! You do _not_ cry too much, you kiss _very_ well and I enjoy it quite a bit, that girl was trash and what she did isn' somethin' good people even _know_ about, you _are _strong -- the strongest person, emotionally, I have ever met -- an' you're a hell of a lot braver than I am!"

"H-how…?" she asked, crying still.

"You dealt with more before the age of twenty than I've 'ad to my whole life." he explained. "If I ever got near a situation that required any emotional stress or commitment at all, I would run from it as fast as I could. I could never be as brave an' as strong in that way as you are." She sniffled. "An' what are you sayin' you're not good enough for me! I don' deserve one bit of you in a thousand years!" She continued crying and he sighed. "Let, please… you 'ave to realize it's not your fault… I jus'… Men jus'… always 'ave to be doin' it -- terrible creatures we are…"

"Well… " she sniffled, "I know I can't be doing that now… but… I thought you loved me…"

"Oh, I do, Let, I do -- don' get me wrong--"

"It's fine, Jack." she stated.

He paused. "What?"

"I need you, Jack -- I love you too much." she told him. "No matter what you do to me, I'm going to stay with you as long as you'll let me."

"Let, don'… don' do that… don' say that…" he hesitated. "Please -- yell at me, 'it me, do somethin' that'll make me quit doin' this!"

"I can't do that, Jack…" she replied. "No matter what you do to me… I'll always love you for who you really are."

"Violet, don'… don'…" he said. She hugged him. "Don'… You got to stop lettin' yourself be so open to get 'urt. If I 'it you, what would you do?"

"You wouldn't do that."

"But what if I did?" he asked.

"Well… I would… probably cry for a while, but…"

"No, darling, you 'ave to stop lettin' people 'urt you." he told her. "If someone 'urts you, you can't let 'em do it again. If I 'it you, you would 'ave to leave me -- for your own safety."

"No, I couldn't do that." she said.

"Oh, love, if you don' put your foot down, you'll keep gettin' urt."

"I know that if you love me, you won't stray… I thought, anyway…" she told him, letting go of him.

"Sweetheart, I _do_ love you!" he pressed. "I'm sorry -- it was a mistake!"

She looked up at him, tears running down her cheeks. "You break my heart, Jack. You lie, you drink, you stray…" she sighed. "You just never cease to break my heart."

He stared at her with a furrowed brow. She turned and went down to her room. Of all the things she could have done, that was the worst. He felt more disgusting and lowly than he had in his entire life and was convinced he should be burning in hell for what he'd done to her. He didn't know what to do. He was fairly sure he shouldn't go to Violet -- he'd done enough damage. So he headed down to his room and went to his cabinet. He opened it and took out a bottle of rum. He uncorked it and put the bottle to his lips. He stopped.

_You lie, you drink, you stray… You just never cease to break my heart._

He went to the window, quickly opened it, and flung the bottle out of it. He threw himself onto his bed, wallowing in shame. He wished he could just die, but realized that wouldn't put him in any better place than he was now, after all he'd done. He had no idea who was _really_ suffering, though.

Violet lie on her bed, crying into her pillow. Hex had been there, but hadn't said anything yet. Finally, she got too worried to keep her mouth shut. She fluttered over to Violet's bed and stood at the edge of it.

"…Violet?" Hex said cautiously. "What's wrong?" Violet didn't reply, just continued crying. She looked over at Hex, but just kept sobbing. Hex made to place a comforting hand on Violet's arm, but Violet flinched.

"Don't…" Violet sobbed and started crying harder.

"…Violet, it's alright, just tell me what happened." Hex told her. She again tried to place a hand on Violet's arm, but this time Violet didn't react like before.

"_Don't touch me!_" Violet screamed, and smacked Hex away from her. Unfortunately, because of Hex's size, this was no small effect. Hex flew across the room and hit the wall with a painful thud. Luckily, she wasn't hurt since faeries actually have much stronger bodies than humans do, relative to size, but she was shocked at Violet's outburst. "I don't… want you to know!" Violet sobbed. Hex understood now. Psychic. Right. That puts a damper on a lot of things. Hex nodded and flew back over to the dresser and lied down listlessly on her pillow.

The whole night, Violet did nothing but cry. Hex could do nothing but watch, unfortunately. Violet was in horrible shape. The morning came and she still hadn't slept -- just cried. Hex had gotten a little sleep, but was too distressed, really, to get much. Hex got up and flew over to the door. She used her entire body to turn the doorknob and opened the door a smidge. She squeezed out and quickly flew to Jack's room. Another doorknob… She struggled to open it, but finally did. She flew in and landed on Jack's chest. She jumped up and down to try and wake him up.

"Hey! Hey!" Hex yelled. After a little while, Jack blinked his eyes open and looked at her.

"…What?" he asked gloomily.

"What happened!" Hex exclaimed.

"…What are you talking about…?" Jack asked, yawning tiredly.

"Violet! She's a mess!" she told him.

"Oh… that's… a private matter…" he replied, still incredibly ashamed.

"I've never seen anyone in such bad shape!" she pressed. "She cried all night! Didn't sleep at all! You've got to do something!"

"…I think I've done enough…" he said.

Just then, Anamaria burst into the room.

"She found out, didn't she?" Anamaria asked angrily. Jack nodded sadly. "I just went in to check on her -- poor thing is sobbing her brains out!" Jack just looked at her guiltily. "What did I say a few days ago, Jack! You're such a fucking bastard! Why do you have to be such an ass!"

"Anamaria, please, I've taken enough o' a beatin' from meself…" he injected quietly.

"No, no, you're not getting off that easily!" Anamaria scolded. "That poor girl! She's never done _anything_ but absolutely _worship_ you! And what do you do! Turn around and go off to fuck some whore who you'll probably never see again anyway -- simply because Violet's not a disgusting slut!" Jack put his hands to his temples and shut his eyes stressfully. "You piece of shit! Seriously!"

Jack may have been feeling extremely guilty at this time, but he was starting to grow extremely angry. Finally, he spoke up. "Anamaria, you're goin' to leave this room righ' now before I throw your ass out o' 'ere! Because, as fuckin' Captain, I can kick you off my fuckin' ship and you'll be back on the fuckin' street stealing food from fuckin' vendors jus' to fuckin' survive like you were when I met you! You want that! SO GET THE HELL OFF MY BACK!"

Anamaria bit her lip in anger, but just turned and stormed out.

"…Wow, when they say 'a mouth like a sailor,' they really mean it…" Hex said. "I don't think I've heard that many curse words in my life… And I'm 500 years old!"

Jack didn't say anything. He just got up, causing Hex to fly off and stand on his bedside table, and went to his door. He stopped.

"…What do I do?" he asked helplessly.

"Well, don't curse anymore, my ears are burning." Hex told him sarcastically.

"You want to 'elp or not?" Jack asked, irritated.

"…My suggestion: do something for her." she replied. "Like… go buy her something… I don't know what happened, but I'm… assuming you did something?"

"I thought you were psychotic." he said, turning to look at her.

"_Psychic_. Not psychotic. _Psychic_." she stated, annoyed. She sighed. "Anyway, in order to get actual memories, I'd have to touch one of you… Violet really didn't want me to touch her… It's none of my business anyway… But… if _you_ did something, I don't think she needs to see you right now. Just… go buy something she'd like. How many times have you apologized?"

"…I lost count…" he replied.

"Ah. Well, then, I suppose you can't do much more for her… Just buy her something to break the ice a little. Something really special."

He nodded and left the room.

Violet was still lying on her bed, sobbing. Of those who knew about her current condition had no idea what she was going through underneath her own skin. She was fighting something. Something that was desperately trying to get out, but she wouldn't let it. It wasn't easy, though, and she didn't know how long she could keep it up…

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Yeah... That was the most depressing chapter I've written so far... But...good, yeah? I hope so... anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!

weeps for Violet I'm such an evil author! '(


	8. Recovery Is Never Easy

I'm finally updating! Argh to writer's block! ...I've also been under a lot of stress lately... A LOT OF STRESS. Ugh --' Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! There's only like... 2 or 3 chapters left, so stay with me! ENJOY!

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CHAPTER 8: RECOVERY IS NEVER EASY

Jack was gone the entire day, he was taking Hex's advice and trying to find something to buy for Violet. He didn't want to be on the ship anyway. Everyone was furious at him for hurting Violet like that. While he was out, Anamaria was taking care of Violet. Violet would hardly get up for anything. She wouldn't talk. She wouldn't even open her mouth except to drink a little water. Her eyes were blank and she would just stare at the ceiling all the time. Hex, meanwhile, had been rooming with Anamaria. Will and Elizabeth visited Violet fairly often, but she didn't really respond to them.

The next week, Jack went out every day and stayed out, until one day, he was out for only a few hours. He had finally found what he was looking for. He came back to the ship and found Anamaria.

"'ow is she?" Jack asked her.

"Worse. For some reason, she's even worse than before…" Anamaria replied. "I… think you need to see her. But I don't think she needs to see you. Just crack the door open and peek in -- don't let her see you." Jack nodded and they headed to Violet's room. "This is… worse than I've ever seen anyone's mental state, Jack… She's had a _total _nervous breakdown. She's… not even putting sentences together…" Jack bit his lip in worry.

They got to the door and Anamaria slipped inside. Jack peeked in watchfully. The moment he laid his eyes on Violet, it felt like he'd been hit in the chest with the Pearl's anchor.

"Hey, Violet." Anamaria said softly, sitting on a chair next to Violet's bed.

"Ana… Ana Ana…" Violet mumbled, staring at the ceiling.

"You hungry at all?" Anamaria asked. "You need to eat."

"No no no no…" Violet said emptily. "No no no no no…"

"Alright, alright. Well, you want some water, then?"

Violet considered this and nodded, never taking her eyes off the ceiling. Anamaria grabbed a glass of water on Violet's bedside table and helped her drink some water.

"H… how -- is -- Jack?" Violet struggled to say.

Anamaria blinked. "Erm… Jack's fine, honey… why?"

"Love him… I love…" Violet trailed off. Anamaria's brow furrowed in confusion, wondering how she could love the man who put her in this state in the first place. Or at least… seems like she'd be a little angry… Anamaria sighed and pushed the hair out of Violet's face.

"Do you want anything, Violet?" Anamaria asked. Violet just stared at the ceiling. "Well, I'm going to go, alright?" No reaction… Anamaria stood up and left the room.

"Dear God, what 'ave I done…?" Jack groaned, leaning up against the wall and miserably letting himself slide down to the floor. He thought for a moment. "Wait… this isn' righ'… Violet… wouldn' let 'erself get like this…" He looked up at Anamaria. "This isn' a nervous breakdown, this is somethin' else."

"…What is it, then?" Anamaria asked.

"…Let me go in an' see 'er." he stated.

Anamaria thought about this, but decided she supposed it wouldn't hurt too much… "Alright… well, I'll be here if you need me…"

"Thanks." Jack replied. He stood up and slowly opened Violet's door. He shut it again and sat down in the chair next to her bed. "…Violet…" Violet twitched, but didn't say a word or move her eyes from their spot. "Sweetheart… you know 'ow sorry I am, so… I'm not goin' to keep buggin' you by continuin' to say it all the time… but…" he sighed. "Let, 'ow did it come to this? You've 'andled more than this before, why is it doin' this to you?" No response. He sighed again and stood up. He went to the window and stood there, looking out at the sea. He turned around and Violet was walking up to him, staring blankly. "Oh, darling, you shouldn' be--"

SLAP! She slapped him hard in the face. He recoiled for a second, simply not expecting it. She started repeatedly slapping him in the face.

"Violet--"

SLAP!

"Violet, please--"

This time, she _punched _him in the face -- hard. She was absolutely out of control; she wouldn't stop hitting him. Finally, he grabbed her arms and held her in place, trying to calm her down, but to no avail.

"ANAMARIA!" Jack yelled. She quickly entered the room and rushed over to them.

"What the hell is going on!" she cried.

"I don' know!" Jack replied urgently. "She jus'… well, whatever -- what are we goin' to do! She's goin' to 'urt 'erself if she keeps flailin' around like this!"

Anamaria thought for a moment, but could only think of one thing that would work. "Well… I think our only choice is to tie her down…"

"…Aye, I suppose so… OUCH!" he exclaimed, getting a sharp kick in the shin. "There's rope in my room!"

"…What do you use that for…?" Anamaria asked, a little disgusted.

"For emergencies -- what do you think!"

"…Nothing! Nothing at all…" Anamaria said, and rushed out of the room. A few moments later, she rushed back in with the rope.

They didn't have much time to decide how to do this, so Jack simply pinned Violet down on her bed while Anamaria tied her limbs down.

"…Now that I think of it…" Jack added, realizing the position they were in, "this might not 'ave been the best idea…" Violet was violently struggling to get free, but it was no contest since Jack was so strong. Anamaria finally got Violet completely tied down and Jack was able to sit back down safely. "…Alrigh', it's under control now. Please let me talk to 'er now."

"…Well… fine, but…" Anamaria hesitated, "I'll be right out here." He nodded and she left the room. Violet still struggled hard to get free, the ropes were tied tightly.

"Violet…" Jack began softly, "sweetheart, this isn' you…" She gave another violent struggle, letting out angry yells. "Violet, I don' know wha's wrong with you, but this isn' all because o' me, is it?" She yelled again -- he raised his voice now and spoke urgently. "It's twenty years o' pain an' anger pent up inside, darling, an' you can't let it take over! You're stronger than that! Whatever this is, you got to get rid o' it! I know I told you that I would kill whatever it was that came along to distress you, but I can't do anythin' about this one! Please, please, Let, jus' fight it!"

She continued to struggle, but started to say things now. "Not -- now! Not -- now!" Every word she spoke, she would more violently thrash about. "Go -- love! Go!" He just watched her, wondering what on earth was going on inside her head. "Won't! Hurt -- back! Won't -- won't -- won't -- won't!" He looked at her in despair. She was such a mess. Her face was pale, she had bags under her eyes, and her hair was extremely mussed. Neither he nor Anamaria had ever seen anyone in this kind of mental condition before… "…No! Love! GO! AHHHH!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She went limp -- she'd passed out. Jack sighed miserably.

He told Anamaria what happened and they were to take turns keeping an eye on Violet. Jack refused to go looking for the next clue without her, or at least, not while she was in this condition. She stayed out cold for an entire day. They started to grow very, very worried about her -- even more than before, because she couldn't eat or drink anything like this.

Finally, one afternoon, as Jack was watching over her, she stirred. He looked over at her attentively and she opened her eyes. She looked around and immediately upon spotting Jack, started struggling again. He bit his lip in worry, but got an idea.

"No, no, sweetheart, it's okay!" he attempted to comfort her. "Love, you're _you_! You're _Violet_! …You remember the diamond, Violet? The necklace?" Upon hearing this, her struggling eased up a little. "Remember that? Wasn' that a good memory?" She continued to pathetically struggle a little, but he could tell she remembered it. "Yeah… yeah, you're my Let, aren' you?" Tears started running down her cheeks. "I bought you somethin'. You want to see it?" She continued struggling pathetically.

He reached in his pocket and retrieved a small box. He opened it and pulled out a necklace. It was the necklace. The diamond one. The stone was in the shape of a heart and was about a half inch in diameter. It was set in silver and hung on a silver chain. He held it up in front of her and she froze. She went limp, unable to take her eyes off the necklace. After a moment, tears running down her face, she smiled.

"'ey, while you're conscious, you'd better drink somethin'." he said, taking a glass off the bedside table and filling it with water. He held it to her lips and she drank more of it than she had in days. He hung the necklace on the clock on her bedside table so she could see it. "…I'm sorry we 'ad to do this to you, sweetheart… I wish it could be different… An'… things _will _be different. I promise. I threw out all my rum an' I'm tryin' to be the best I can be… I 'aven' even _glanced_ at another woman… I'm tryin' so 'ard to break all me habits… I'm tryin'… I promise…"

Violet closed her eyes, still crying a bit. "Jack…" she whispered. He leaned in closer to hear her better. "…Saved -- me… Love… Jack… AH!" she yelled; he jumped a little and sat back in his chair.

Violet improved a lot over the next few days. It took a little while before they decided to untie her, but they did when she got her normal speech back.

"I'm fine now, really." she told them. "…Really."

"Well, I suppose so -- you seem alright to me." Anamaria said. She and Jack untied her and she sat up against the headboard.

"…You know… I'm actually a little hungry now…" Violet added.

"I'll get you something, honey." Anamaria told her kindly.

"Thank you." Violet replied. "And thank you both… for taking care of me all this time… I've been such a terrible bother…"

"No, you haven't." Anamaria stated. "Anything for a fellow crewmember." She smiled and left the room.

"…Well, you look jus' beautiful, baby." Jack told Violet.

She snickered. "I do not…"

"Yes, you do." he pressed. "You always do." He glanced over at the clock and remembered the necklace. He grabbed it and held it up. "I think you can wear this now, aye?" She nodded eagerly and he undid the clasp. He put it around her neck and re-clasped it. She looked down at it reminiscently and took it in her hand, gazing at it.

"…It's so beautiful, Jack…" she said. "How on earth did you find it?"

"'ad it made." he replied. "Took a few days, 'ad to light a real fire under those men who made it for me, but… it was worth it. Does it look like the other one?"

"Better." she told him, smiling. "…I suppose… the way I am right now… you wouldn't want… to kiss me, would you?"

"You've no idea 'ow long an' 'ow much I've been wantin' to." he said with his half smile. He placed a hand on the side of her head and kissed her gently. "…I'm so sorry for everythin'…"

She shook her head. "I don't want you to apologize anymore… I… think I understand now… But… what matters is that even through all this, I… I still love you more than anything else. I think that shows something."

A week later, Violet got her strength back and she, Jack, and Hex headed out to find the next clue. They got to a lake and stopped.

"Well?" Jack asked Hex. "Where now?"

"This is it." Hex replied. "It's here. We'll have to dive under the lake to get there, I believe. It's… an underground cave. It's not too deep, so you don't have to hold your breath for long."

"I'm… not a very good underwater swimmer…" Violet said.

"Ah, jus' 'ang onto me -- you'll be fine." Jack told her.

"Well, follow me." Hex stated. She took a deep breath and dove into the water. Jack and Violet followed suit. They followed her to the lower side of the lake, when they came upon an opening. They swam through it and surfaced in a cave. It was lit, for some reason and was fairly large. They proceeded through the cave.

They walked on for a while, and came to a huge pit. They peered in and it looked bottomless…

"Well… this is annoying." Hex stated. "I'd fly across to continue, but… I can't open that door on the other side… It'll probably take both of you to open it."

"What's this say?" Violet asked, looking down at her feet. They stepped back and the word TRUST was written on the ground. "Trust… alright, then…"

"Wait a minute…" Hex said, thinking. She fluttered down to the mouth of the pit and stopped in midair. "It's solid! It's just… invisible… Trust! That's it! So you guys can just walk across."

Jack and Violet looked at each other skeptically and then glanced at Hex hesitantly. They gulped and stuck their feet out slowly. They set them down and they landed on air. Violet grabbed Jack's hand and they walked slowly across the abyss, trying not to look down. They finally reached the other side and heaved the door open.

In the center of the room was a large stone slab. They walked over to it and peered down on it.

"Pyramids." Hex stated. "I'm… not sure which ones, though… Looks like we'll have to look in a few books, huh?" Violet nodded. Hex looked at Jack. "You got any books on Egypt?"

They got back to the ship and flipped through books about Egypt. Shortly after they began, Will and Elizabeth entered the room.

"Oh, 'ey!" Jack greeted. "'ow's the arm, Elizabeth?"

"Well, it's… not any worse." she replied.

"Well, we're lookin' stuff up about pyramids an'… stuff… So, if you'd like to 'elp, it would be very useful." Jack said. Will and Elizabeth agreed to help and they all flipped through the books. "We got to find a certain picture, so jus' alert us when you find any pictures."

After more searching, Elizabeth pointed out a picture that matched the one in the cave.

"Giza…" Hex mumbled. "Looks like we're heading to Giza."

Jack went up on deck and had them set a course for Egypt. He then returned to the room they had been researching in. Violet was still flipping through the books, interested. He sat down next to her.

"So, you know anything about Egypt?" he asked.

"Actually, yes." she replied. "I've read quite a few books about it. It really is fascinating. Unfortunately, there are tons of ways to die inside a pyramid… The Egyptians were well known for many things, one of them being the way they could set up traps in so many ways."

"Well… that's… frightenin'…" Jack said.

"Luckily, I've read a lot about Egypt, so I should be able to point out some of the usual traps…."

"Some of them, eh?" Jack asked. "Comforting."

"I-I wish I could do more, but--"

"Oh, I'm jus' kiddin', love." he told her. "'ey, you're our most valuable asset 'ere. You know more about it than the rest o' us do." She smiled.

Who knows what Egypt will bring? Death? Life? The final clue? Maybe something more…

* * *

Egypt is awesome. I love it. Anyway, yes, they shall be going to Egypt! And believe me... A LOT of stuff is going to happen there. A LOT OF STUFF! So yeah! I'll work hard to finish soon!

PLEASE REVIEW!


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